The Parable Of The Lost Coin

Luke 15:8-9
Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

The parable of the lost coin is the second of three parabolic series Jesus Christ preached to a congregation full of tax collectors and sinners who came to hear him teach the word of God.

All three parables teaches us that God is a loving and forgiving God, and it is for this course Christ came to this world; “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Like 19:10). God loves and value the lost ones more than pretentious folks who shows off to the world that they are saved, yet are not, because there is always an opportunity to repent or be found through the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. And this parable shows us exactly how to find a lost coin – Light a candle, sweep, and search carefully.

The woman in the parable could have been content with the rest of the nine coins which is also a symbol of great wealth but still went ahead to look for the one coin. Moreover it is a woman who is seen to be searching for her coin in the parable, which symbolizes affection. This gives us a glimpse of how the Lord delights in us.

In the eyes of God, the sinner is represented by a coin, and the word of God, candle/light (Psalm 119:105). It is the word of God that shed light on the plight of sinners and provide solutions o their problems.

The entire parable shows us the attitude we must have towards saving souls, just as Christ is passionate about saving us.

• Enos Afriyie