Photo by Jessica Furtney on Unsplash
How The Conversation Started
This is the second parable in a series of three, as Jesus pushes back against the scribes and Pharisees grumbling about Him spending time with, as they put it, “sinners.”
Jesus began by sharing the parable of a Lost Sheep. Emphasizing the peril of being lost and challenging the Pharisees understanding of why He was spending time with these people they looked down on, and ultimately pointing them to the blindness of their own sin.
He then transitions into a second story about a lost coin. This time with a different emphasis.
The Lost Coin
8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
– Luke 15:8-10 (NASB)
Understanding Your Value
In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a woman that has lost a silver coin. This coin would have been worth about a days wages. It was the great value of the coin that made it worth searching for. It didn’t matter that she still had nine coins, the value of just one coin was too much to lose.
It is important that we understand the spiritual correlation here. In the context of this story, those that are lost have the same value to our Heavenly Father. Every one of His creation, all by themselves, is valuable enough for God to want you to be reconciled to Him.
You as an individual, have such great worth, that God would have set His plan of redemption into motion, just for you. The same can be said for all of humanity.
God Had A Plan
Because of the value of this coin, the woman begins a very meticulous search. She lights a lamp so that she can see better; she gets a broom to reach into the cracks and crevices so that she doesn’t miss a square inch of the floor; and she performs a careful search. She is slow and methodical in her approach.
Again, we do not want to miss the spiritual correlation. Because God’s creation was so valuable to Him, He had a plan of redemption in place before Adam and Eve ever stepped foot in the Garden of Eden. He was pointing all of humanity to the cross of Christ from the moment Adam and Eve committed sin in the Garden.
God has gone to great lengths to provide sufficient evidence of that plan and to ensure that people will hear His redemptive story for all of time. Like the woman in the story he took great care to prepare and implement his plan. Here are a few thoughts:
- God provided many prophecies about how and when Jesus would come.
- God sent Jesus at just the right time.
- Jesus chose men that would carry His story into the future.
- God has given us the Holy Spirit to be our strength and guide.
- God preserved His story in the writings of the Old and New Testament. In fact, He has provided more fragments of this document than any other ancient document in history.
God’s story of redemption, through Jesus Christ, is still being told thousands of years later because of the thoughtfulness that God put into this plan.
Bottom Line
You are valuable to God. You alone are enough for God to have put His plan of redemption in motion. If you have not found your way home, God has provided a way for you to come home to Him. He simply asks you to believe and repent.
I am convinced that no one needs to be told over and over that they have done things that are wrong. What you and I need to be reminded of, is God’s plan of redemption. Our sin has separated us from a holy God, and through Jesus, God has made a way for us to come back home.
Humanity’s sin did not take God by surprise. He knew that giving mankind free will, would give us the potential to choose other things in this life over Him. Jesus death and crucifixion was always the answer.
Just as the woman in the story is concerned over just one coin, God is concerned for you. You matter. He has moved Heaven and Earth to show you the way back home.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally or believe will add value to our readers. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:
“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
