The Parable of the Lost Coin
by W. Chaz Glass
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10, NKJV)
The Parable of the Lost Coin is one of three parables Jesus spoke to address the murmuring of the Pharisees regarding Christ receiving sinners and eating with them. Completely blinded by their own self-righteousness, they didn’t realize he ate and drank with them also for the very same reason. God’s pursuit of us is relentless; He doesn’t want anyone to be lost. To God, we’re incredibly valuable. After all, we belong to Him, just like the lost coin belonged to the woman, and because of sin we are lost. The woman had ten coins, but losing even one was a big deal to her. Likewise, we are not loose change that falls in between the couch. Every soul in every corner of the globe is sought after with inexhaustible diligence, for God does not sleep or slumber.
It reminds me of the question God asked Adam in the Garden, ‘Adam, where are you?’ Just as God actively searched for Adam and Eve, He searches for every soul to bring them back into alignment with their true spiritual nature and purpose. The number ten, in God’s ‘currency,’ represents all of us. While we’re part of His collective body. Like Adam, God calls for each of us individually, and like Adam, we hide because of our shame. We hide like a child when they know they let their parents down, failing to meet an expectation. Still, as a loving parent does, we seek them out, dust them off, pick them up, and cover them. God seeks not to punish, but to bring us home where the fattened calf has been slaughtered and a feast has been prepared.
Through Christ, God has prepared a way for us, a straight path. If we don’t make a move toward Him, He comes to us. This is where the Great Commission and evangelism come into play. Through Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the woman in the parable represents the Church. The lost coin represents the spiritually lost or estranged individuals, those who may be unaware of God’s love, rejected truth, or have consciously chosen to live apart from Him. We find ‘lost coins’ in the faces of sinners, and just like Jesus, we sit down and share a meal with them. It’s an opportunity to witness and share the life-changing message of the gospel.
Proverbs 20:27 paints a vivid image: ‘The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.’ We can’t hide from that divine light, and it’s through this light that we are found. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart.’ We’re sought out through the gospel, which is preached to every corner of the globe. It’s a testimony that Jesus looking for us, is at the door, knocking, desiring to come in and sup with us. At that point, we’re the precious coin He’s found, the lost smartphone He’s retrieved, the diamond-studded wedding ring He’s recovered, the missing child He’s welcomed home. Finally, we are back where we belong, in God’s treasury, where coins never lose their value.