During his ministry, Jesus frequently challenged conventional wisdom, and He also encouraged His followers to radically demonstrate God’s love. He often did this through the use of parables. Jesus used these short stories to relay important instructions and lessons in ordinary language. There are more than 30 parables in the Bible, each with its own dynamic lesson.
In Luke 15:8-10, we learn about the Parable of the Lost Coin. “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
This parable is particularly effective partly from Jesus’ choice of image. During this time period, women typically received 10 coins as a wedding present. Each coin held sentimental and monetary value, so the loss of just one coin could be upsetting. The woman in the parable would have been willing to go to great lengths to find her one missing coin.
Jesus explains that God sees every person as invaluable, just like the lost coin. He feels sadness when anyone is lost after they have drifted away from Him and longs for them to return.
In the parable, the woman has thoroughly searched until she finds the missing coin. Then, she wants to share her joy with neighbors and friends. Jesus compares her reaction as being how God rejoices when a person repents of their sin and becomes one of His children.
He will rejoice upon each one who turns to Him.
If we let ourselves drift away from God or intentionally leave Him, rest assured that He is always searching, hoping and waiting for us to return. His love never fades. He’s searching for you. All you have to do is turn back to Him.
