Lost Coins
Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.
Luke 15:9
Have you ever called up a friend and said, “come on over and celebrate with me because I found a lost coin?” Jesus is making a point here that it is wonderful when sinners repent and return to God, but the story has a little different context. The woman counted her coins and was off one. She then searched her home for that one coin and found it. It did not repent. It was simply found, and she called up her friends and neighbors to come to her party because she was happy about finding her coin.
Perhaps in our day losing a monthly social security check that a senior citizen lives on might be comparable to this woman’s loss. She may have other means of living, but she needs the check to stay solvent. After much searching, she finds the coin and is relieved and happy. This happiness seems to be Jesus’ point about the lost. God is relieved and happy when the lost are found. But who is to look for the lost?
This woman had a vested interest in finding the coin. It was one of her 10 and she wanted to find it. She counted nine coins and not ten. Last week the shepherd counted 99 sheep and found he was missing one. What is Jesus telling us about the relative worth of these objects? Is one out of 10 more valuable than 1 out of 100? The percentages say it is, but is that relevant? Perhaps, but in both cases, someone determined that something was missing and went searching for it. The lost needs to be found, and when it is, we need to celebrate.
People are different than coins and sheep. We should know we are lost, but in some cases we do not. It often takes another person to come looking for the lost to help them determine they need God in their lives. Surely that is a reason to celebrate.
Earnest Vincent is that type of person. Ernest went through life without really knowing he was lost. He lived his life away from God but now he feels found. Even though Ernest is in jail, he is focusing on his walk with God. He is doing a daily Bible reading. He is in a prayer group. He is signed up for a Bible study and to earn an associate’s degree in Bible while in prison. We should be celebrating Ernest returning to God and continue to seek out others who are lost (but may not know it).
Scripture: Luke 15:8-10
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