Luke 15:8–10 (ESV)
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice
with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Every time I hit this parable, my wife (Lori)
comes to mind. She is a professional finder of things. She is better than a blood hound on finding lost items. We were camping on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls when at 1:00AM, she realized she lost her diamond cross necklace. She
is this woman in the parable and sweeping the floors of the tent and sweeping the whole campsite... she finds the necklace in the grass at 2:30 AM. Anything that is lost... she finds. This parable is very dear to me. For I know my wife is
good at finding lost things, but Christ is even better at finding lost, unrepentant sinners. I see the joy in her face when she finds the lost item. In the campground in Canada... I was so supportive that I went back to sleep. I was more
like Peter falling asleep while Jesus went to pray. There was no way I could stay awake. But this parable is not about me continuing to sleep that night, but it is a lost coin, or that is... an unrepentant sinner. We should not be complacent
about saving the lost, but see it as a pure joy when a sinner repents. When we have lost that joy, we are having serious spiritual problems.
I pray: O Lord, help us to be as diligent in searching
for the lost as the lady in the parable. Help us to never become complacent in our duty of planting the seeds of faith. Let us also rejoice when the harvest of lost sinners repent of their sins. Let the Holy Spirit guide us in our journey.
Amen.