The old hymn Amazing Grace makes me think of the Parable of the Lost Coin because I was once hopelessly lost and it would take the supernatural work of God to find me and that I term 'Grace'!
It took the Holy spirit to awaken me to the grade of God. Truly, God is amazing and forgives our sins despite our unfaithfulness.
Many times I wonder how amazing and awesome God's wondrous wonders are.
Let's ponder and reflect on the parable of the lost coin
The coin didn't find the woman nor did the coin seek the woman rather, she found the coin but not until she swept and searched deeply through nook and cranny.
Eph. 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. Not because of works, lest any man should boast.
...Though the physician Luke, God relates many stories and parables about people who are neglected, forgotten, ignored or lost. Luke writes about women, beggars, lost sons and widows with a touch that betrays his own compassion and empathy for common people.
A scenario pictured a woman who lived in a small house in a crowded village, her day consists of sewing, knitting, reading and cooking.
Lacking money, she does have some ten silver coins that are of great value to her. One day she discovers that one is gone.
Christ presented this scenario in two brief verses: “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).
According to the original Greek, the coins here were drachmas, each equivalent to a Roman denarius, which represented about a day’s wages. So let’s say that in today’s money she had $1,000 and now found $100
The parable of the lost coin clearly indicates God’s true attitude towards sinners.
"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not 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" (Luke 15:8-10).
In the illustration, the sinner is likened to a valuable coin which has been lost. The woman does not take a lax attitude towards her lost possession. No!.
First she lights a lamp, necessarily expending oil, so that she can see clearly. Next, instead of simply glancing here and there, she uses a broom or some utensil to sweep her house so that she can reach places that might otherwise be inaccessible to her. Above all, she searches carefully. There is no hint of indifference, only diligence. This coin was valuable; she must find it at all costs.
Jesus wanted the religious leaders to understand his compassion over those who were lost. When we are lost sinners, we are not just off...God longed for us to return so much to him.
He offered up His Son as a sacrificial lamb. This He did to cleanse the sinner from sin and restore him to Himself. He would go through any means, any expense to bring them to Himself.
The parable of the lost coin portrays the mission of Jesus Christ the Light of the World.
Jesus provides the light for sinners to be found of God, just as the woman needed light to search carefully for her lost coin. Each sinner is special to God; there is rejoicing in heaven over “each one” that repents. We are all individuals of great importance to the Father. The woman could have been content to possess the remaining nine coins; obviously they represented great wealth and status to her.
Every soul counts in Christian salvation. God loves and celebrated our triumphant reunion to him in the quest to fulfill our baptismal promises, let us seek to draw to our heavenly father always.
