Observation: In response to the Pharisees commenting on Jesus spending time with "sinners", he tells three parables. The first is of the lost sheep, and leaving the 99 to find the 1. The third is the "prodigal son" story, so famous that even non-believers know the basics of it. The middle parable, however, is very short and not nearly as well known. It is this one, where a woman loses a single coin, so searches her house for it and celebrates upon finding it.
Of course, these are metaphors, and in all of these the lost item is a person and the person seeking them is God. How they differ is interesting, though, because they are not just the retelling of the same idea three times. Rather, they are very different. In the first, the sheep foolishly and likely accidentally wanders off, and the shepherd leaves all the other sheep to go find it. In the third, the son leaves in a hurtful act of betrayal, and the father allows him to do so, though he waits for him, keeps a hopeful eye out for his return, and celebrates his return.
However, with the coin ... the coin is an inanimate object that has gone missing. It didn't leave, it got lost. The woman doesn't 'leave others' to look, and neither does she wait and hope the coin will show up. She makes finding the coin her mission. She uses resources like lamp oil, exerts both physical and mental energy, and performs a detailed "sweep" of everything until she finds the coin. Of the three lost items, the coin is the one worth the least both in intrinsic value, and as just a 'thing' that has no life or thought. Yet the woman exerts the most focused and specialized effort to find it than the other two.
It seems obvious that the sheep and prodigal son is like most humans. Some just wander away from God's love and eventually find themselves somewhere outside of his protection, and the Lord finds them and brings them back. Some decide to reject the Lord and even any concept that there is a God, and when they finally reach a point of depravity and despair in life they seek the Lord who joyfully receives them. However ... who are the coin? What people are there who might even 'think' they are in God's house, owned by the Lord, and yet the Lord knows they are not with the other coins, and is forced to make special effort to look everywhere to find them and put them back where they belong?
Yes ... that sounds like righteous people who think they are living a 'good life' but in truth do not believe Jesus. They think being in the vicinity of God is what they are supposed to do in life. However, God can't see them and can't find them. So he exerts the most possible effort he can ... he himself, in the form of Jesus, assumes the form of mankind, comes to earth, lives a full life, is sacrificed, then resurrects himself.
He did all this to save the straying sheep, and to embrace the rebellious son ... and to return the ignorant coin.
Application: I wonder if the Pharisees understood this lesson? They heard it all, and certainly understood what Jesus was saying about the Lord's heart for lost sinners. (Whether they agreed with him is a different story.) However, they were absolutely the coin. They think they are close to God, when actually they're in the wrong place and the Lord is working to bring them back where they belong. I doubt they understood that.
If they did understand it, they should also have understood this ... Jesus was there to work hard to help them. Jesus was actually on their side, too, and ready to celebrate their understanding.
I have seen a lot of people saved as sheep ... who were just wandering in life, getting into danger, until Jesus found them. I know I was a prodigal who finally realized I needed to humbly return to the Lord. Unfortunately, I worry that I know some coins. I know some people who sit there and kinda think they're "okay" with God, but the truth is they don't have faith, are still firmly on the fence about Jesus, and might even wonder to themselves if they believe in entire 'God thing' anyway. The result is that they don't think they need to hear about Jesus because they already 'know' it, but they don't do anything about Jesus. They just ... lay there, doing nothing, and God is going to have to find them and pick them up.
Prayer: Lord, today I pray for the coins. To the extent these are modern Jews, only you know your covenant relationship with them so I pray they are safely in your hands, or that a great awakening with move them toward Jesus. As for others, you know I have good friends in this category, young and old like. Clearly, they will require effort beyond just hoping and praying. I know you are doing that, searching diligently for them so you may recollect their hearts and souls. If you need a lamp, here I am. Amen.
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