The Parables of 4 Lost Prodigals      Luke 15:1-32

The Second Prodigal: 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.”

Luke 15:8 “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver.”

The main lesson of the parable of course is identical with that of the lost sheep. There is a special significance in the fact that the coin that is lost, is said to be lost in the house, while the lost sheep strays from the fold, and in either case both are lost. The value of the coin illustrates the value of the soul of the person that is lost. And the fact of silver is that it is the Bible symbol for redemption as we see under the Old Law Covenant that it was required as a trespass offering:

Leviticus 5:15-16 “If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall     bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.”

Silver was also the required price of a servant:

Leviticus 27:3-7 “And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.”

Silver was also used to make trumpets, which are the Bible symbol for the gospel of Jesus Christ. For example when the Children of Israel would hear the trumpets sound they would know to go into battle. At other times the priests would sound two trumpets to call the people to worship, etc. The number two is the Bible symbol for a witness, the two trumpets were an apt picture for the “law and the prophets” of the Old Testament, and it also points to the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles in the New Testament.

The woman that Jesus is talking about in this parable represents the bride of Christ, or the visible church of God. Thus within the church kingdom there are those who lose their way. Such persons are indeed members of the church, and they had been in regular attendance among their fellow brothers and sisters, but have fallen away either doctrinally or have fallen into sin.

This is certainly the case with the church of the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:16-17 where Jesus finds them being neither “hot nor cold” but only “lukewarm.” “Because” says Jesus “thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

Luke 15:8 “Doth” she “not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?”

She “lighteth a candle.” The light that she lights is not to be understood to be the light of the illumination or reason of man, instead it is the light or illumination that shines out from the gospel of Christ.

I myself believe in truth, and I believe in absolute truth. I fully understand that absolute truth is to be found within the pages of God’s word the Bible. The pure gospel comes directly from the word of God, and is preached by God called ministers.

It is an absolute truth and a fact that natural light, (no matter how bright or brilliant it may be,) has no effect on those who are naturally dead. So it is with spiritual light; the light of the gospel has no effect on those that are spiritually dead in trespasses and in sin; “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Light is not intended by God for the dead, but it is intended by Him for the living! The light of the gospel shines out and is perceived or realized by those who are spiritually alive! Without natural light we stumble, falter and fall! But with light we are able to see clearly the pathway before us. The light of the gospel needs to be shined out to all those who are living in the darkness of sin and error. They need the light of the truth and the doctrines of Christ and His apostles.

In Revelation 1:12-13 the apostle John sees “seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” The candlesticks is the gospel of Christ itself that is preached in the churches, and it is useful to light our pathway in our walk and work while we live here in this present world.

Luke 15:8 “And sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?”

To “sweep the house” indicates that she uses all available means to discover that which she has lost. Again it must be understood that Jesus is not talking about seeking the dead, i.e. or the spiritually dead, but those who are alive, i.e. or spiritually alive. When people are dead we do not seek to find them, and return them home again, instead we have a funeral and bury them.

Remember that the lost coin is not lost somewhere outside, but is inside of her house! It’s still in the house, but it’s now missing, thus she uses everything at her disposal to clean her own house and to restore her valuable lost coin. The Greek word here for “diligently” is ep-ee-mel-oce' which means to press forward in earnest perseverance; to show great care and conscientiousness in one’s labour.

Notice that she does not take a lax attitude toward her lost possession. First, she lights a lamp, (and of necessity her lamp expends oil,) so that she can see clearly.

Second, instead of simply glancing around here and there, she uses a broom to sweep her house so that she can reach places that might otherwise be inaccessible to her. And third, and above all, she searches carefully. There is no hint of indifference here, only steady, earnest, and energetic effort. This coin was valuable; she must find it at all costs!

Let’s be clear about something here. There is a distinction that must be understood between eternal and timely salvation. Eternal salvation is solely given by Jesus Christ when all of the objects of His love who were dead in Adam, are given eternal life through Christ completely apart from any work or action on their part; “And you hath He” that is Christ “quickened,” or made alive “who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Jesus pictures the woman, i.e. the bride of Christ, (the church kingdom of heaven,) as she lights a candle and uses its light while she sweeps away the error in her house, (the church,) and then diligently searches for that one lost coin. This pictures the one soul that is lost in the darkness.

Again in Revelation 3:18 Jesus gives us the good example in His counsel and light to the Laodicean church saying “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”

Luke 15:9 “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.”

Luke 15:9 “And when she hath found it…”

This wonderful parable of the lost coin gives us a small glimpse into the things that the Lord delights in. The coin pictures each wayfaring child of God as being special to God; there is great rejoicing in heaven over each one that repents. It’s all too easy to simply be content with the remaining nine pieces that are not lost; but obviously all of the ten of the coins represent great wealth and status to the woman. Missing the one coin she searched carefully, unwilling to leave to chance that her coin might not be reclaimed.

The lesson that we take away from this is that if we (as the church of God,) fail to keep our house clean we will slowly collect the dust of this world which accumulates on everything.

The lost coin represents one who has become enslaved to the world, and the longer the coin is lost the less likely it will be found again; some coins slowly become tarnished and lose their luster and color, not to mention that the longer they are lost the more they will be covered by the dust and dirt; and many lose their value as they are trampled underfoot which causes them to lose their image and superscription to be worn away.

So the lost soul sinks deeper and deeper into the corruptness of sin; so much so that they lose their witness and character among men and the image of Christ is defaced from their heart.

Luke 15:9 “She calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost…”

Thus when she does find it, and it is restored again to her house she is not satisfied until she calls her friends so that they too will share with her in her rejoicing! Her friends are other woman or sister churches in fellowship with her in Christ! When one sinner repents and is restored again to fellowship in the house or the kingdom church it is cause for rejoicing!

Luke 15:10 “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

Luke 15:10 “Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God,...”

In Luke 7:31-34 Jesus said, “Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, we have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!”

The friends of and neighbours of Jesus are the saints because they each share in His friendship. He came down from heaven and assumed their nature, suffered, bled and died in their place. He paid off of their son debts, redeeming them, and provided a place for them in His Father’s house (John 14:2). He supplies their needs, and visits them in their distress, and comforts all of them as they come to Him and learn of him, and He gives them rest when they are weary, yoking Himself with making their burden light (Matthew 11:28-30). He sends the Holy Comforter to them to teach them and to bring to remembrance all things that He teaches them (John 14:26). And even now, at this present time, He stands before God to intercede for them when they are accused by Satan and the world (Romans 8:26-27, 34; Hebrews 7:25).

Luke 15:10 “over one sinner that repenteth.”

Jesus expresses His love for each child of God in the parable of the woman, who is a picture of His Bride, the church of God, or the kingdom of heaven. As the one who has lost their way are found, and recovered, there is more immediate and present joy at finding her lost coin, than for all the others which she had not lost. Jesus says concerning that one single lost soul that there is joy among the angels at the recovery of a single sinner.

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