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Parable of The Lost Coin |
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Luke 15:8-10
8 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?
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.
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Notes on Customs
Many Judean women wore a headdress with silver or gold coins sown unto it. These coins are not of the same lot as those she would carry in her purse. Any money in her purse might easily be stolen or spent. The coins from her headdress were nearly sacred. No one but herself was allowed to even touch them. This included her husband, unless she cut it off of her own accord and placed it in his hands. It was her personal possession. Whereas coins in her purse would have belonged to the family, used for the household purchases or expenses. When a woman was married she carried with her a dowry, which was exclusively hers. These personal valuables could be in coin or jewelry. The devoice customs at that time gave no protection to women. A husband could legally devoice his wife at any moment for the most trivial reason, such as burning his meal. All the man had to do was to declare the divorce and the woman had to leave the house immediately. She did not have the right to be allowed to pack or take anything from the house except what she was wearing. For this reason her dowry was worn at all times. It was never removed from her person; even while sleeping she wore it. This would ensure that if she were separated from her home and material possessions, such as her clothes, she would not be destitute. So if the lost coin was from her headdress it was a much greater loss to her than if it had been lost from the family money. Still in either case a loss of 10% was significant. The measures she took in her search and the joy over finding the coin suggests that it was part of her dowry.
Language Notes
Verse 8. The opening word “Either” could have just as easily been translated as “Or.” Thus it connects the two parables (the Lost Sheep) together and that the second is a continuation of the first.
The candle is actually a handheld oil lamp
“Sweep the house” has the connotation of not just sweeping floors but a thorough cleaning the house. A methodical, painstaking search.
“Pieces of silver” is the drachma, a silver coin. It is believed to be about the size of our quarter.
Points of the Parable
This parable is only mentioned in Luke.
There is a parallel with this parable and the one of the Lost Sheep. Both concern lost things, a search for them, the finding and the calling of the friends and neighbors to share in the joy over the recovery. Naturally there are differences also. The first centers on a man and the second a woman. The shepherd lost one of one hundred – one percent; this woman lost one of ten - ten percent of what she had. The manner in which the two became lost is different. The sheep probably wandered off on its own accord. The coin either by accident or carelessness was lost. The sheep was in the country; the coin was in the house. The shepherd left the ninety-nine but the woman did not leave her coins. By custom she would have kept them on her person while making the search for the one lost.
It should also again be noted that there is no evidence of any comparison between the lost and the remaining, that they are different in any way. Some of the interpretations have the remaining sheep, and coins to be representing hypocrites and the found things to be true and just. We see no differences in any of the coins, suggesting counterfeit coins
It follows that the friends and neighbors were women. Women would have celebrated in her joy all the more by their acute awareness of the importance of that single coin.
The concluding verse differs from that of the Lost Sheep in that the comparison between the lost and those remaining is not made. Christ omits the phrase “over the ninety-nine (in this case it would have been over the nine) just persons, who need no repentance.” This strengthens the point that the emphasis of the two parables is on the Joy of recovery, redemption, of even one lost person.
The last difference pertains to the joy. The Lost Sheep, the joy is in heaven. But here the joy is in the presence of the angels of God. The simplest explanation is that these are not two different occasions but they the same. The scene is the same but described differently in their details.
Given Interpretations
Nearly all interpretations couples this parable with that of the Lost Sheep. It is not dealt with separately. Here is the typical response to this parable, “The woman in this parable represents the same person the good shepherd did and illustrates the persistent anxiety and unremitting diligence of Christ in seeking to find and recover a lost world.”
Another view, quoted here, but one that has no support from other interpreters is as follows. “The lost coin represents a lost soul realizing that he is lost and that no effort should be spared by him to find it, and thus secure its salvation – that he should seek and seek, and never give over the search until he finds it. The woman is the one who has lost her soul and the coin is the soul.”
One author has made this observation. “The shepherd seeking his sheep symbolizes divine tenderness; the humble woman searching for her silver piece with much diligence and painstaking portrays divine earnestness.” He goes on and talks about the manly qualities (courage, endurance) being complemented by feminine virtues (patience, diligence, and minute observation). All of this is relating to God and His seeking
The Interpretation
The interpretation is identical to that of the Lost Sheep. Why the redundancy? It appears that the truth being presented by Christ is so important that He ensures that whether it is a man or a woman hearing these parables they would have understood the lesson fully and deeply. It matters not who you are; the question is “Which man of you or which woman of you would not do this?” All would agree that their actions are reasonable; even to the point of not to doing so would be wrong. If then it is reasonable for men, how much more for God when the issue is the eternal life of a human being. The duty of the shepherd and the desperation of the woman cannot be adequately compared with the motive of God driven by His love.
The full weight of the parabolic teaching is that of Joy. That Joy in heaven, in the presence of God and angels, over the salvation of one person. The type of person he or she was before their redemption matters not.
The Application
This message is for all. For the lost, it is a message of joy to know that God cares and seeks them. For the critics it shamefully exposes their cruel attitudes. For the saved it is the message we must tell to others without prejudice. God seeks and saves those who are lost.
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Next: Parable of The Lost Son |
This page last updated October 4, 2004 at 2:40pm
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