Lost! Pt.2

A couple of posts ago, we looked at the first part of what I referred to as "The parable of the Lost" (in Luke 15) - the part that deals with the lost sheep. That sheep was lost because of its inherent foolishness. The second part of the parable, however, deals with a different situation. It involves the loss of a coin - lost because of the carelessness of the woman to whom it belonged!

I suspect that the vast majority of those who are reading these words would not be too concerned about the loss of one coin. However, this coin would have been a silver drachma - the equivalent, roughly, of a day's wages for a skilled worker. In the UK, in contemporary terms, that would be approximately £90.00 - not an amount to be sneezed at! 

In addition to that, it is quite likely that this coin had more than a monetary value - it may also have had a sentimental value. At that time, in Israel, what signified that a woman was married was a headdress made of ten silver coins, linked together on a silver chain (so, approximately £1,000 worth in current values!). It was, in fact, the equivalent of a modern wedding ring. However, while when my (then) fiancée and I were preparing for our wedding day, it was I who purchased the wedding ring that she would receive during that service (and it didn't cost anything like the value of this headdress!), in this case the girl, herself, provided the sign of her marriage! She may have been saving for years in order to be able to provide it and, when she had it, it was considered to be so important, that it could not even be taken from her to pay a debt!

Certainly, whether that was the case, or whether she had simply lost a coin that was going to be used to purchase necessities for the home and family, we may well imagine the joy of the woman when, at last, she spotted the glint of the missing coin as even the dim light from her oil lamp was reflected by it. 

But, as already mentioned, it was not the fault of the coin that it was lost. Had she dropped it accidentally? Had it fallen through a hole in her clothing? Had the headdress chain been broken? We don't know - but the woman realised that it was her responsibility to find it.

My former minister, spiritual mentor, and personal friend, the Rev. George B. Duncan (who married me to my wife) sometimes pointed out that before we become too proud of the number of people we may have led to full salvation in Jesus, we should think of the number who have been put off by our witness - which is not always what we would want it to be! Is my carelessness the cause of another being lost in sin? That is a serious question!

The other point that I would wish to share concerns that joy that the woman experienced when she found the coin. It was the same joy that the shepherd experienced when he found the sheep that was lost. And it is such joy that, we are assured, that is shared by even the angelic beings that inhabit the heavens, when a lost sinner is saved, through repentance, and faith in the Lord Jesus, the Christ.: "... there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who [think that they] need no repentance." (v.7); "... there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (v.10).

The sheep was lost because of its own foolishness; the coin because of the carelessness of another. But each one needed to be found! I wonder if the sheep was aware of its lost state? I wonder if anyone reading these words is aware of their lost state?! And I wonder how careful we are that others are not turned away from salvation because of our careless witness!

Lost!

The parable for this post is actually only the first part of a parable! It is found in Luke's account of the Gospel, and in chapter 15. In v.3 of that chapter, we read: "So He told them this parable:" The following words lead us into the parable of the lost sheep - but Jesus goes on to deal with the lost coin, and then the lost son. The parable is a parable of the lost, with three examples being used, and three lessons being taught.

So, we begin by looking at the lost sheep. Sheep, in God's Word, are usually portrayed as foolish creatures, prone to wandering off and getting into trouble. It was its own foolishness that led to the sheep being lost. That, of course, is why sheep need a shepherd! 

But it is not only the four-footed animal that acts so foolishly. Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet stated: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;" (53:6). In other words, you and I can be as foolish as any sheep! The Pharisees and the Scribes would have had no difficulty in seeing the tax collectors and sinners thus described - but they would never have applied such a description to themselves! Yet the prophet made it clear that "all" are involved! Peter told his fellow-believers that "you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." (I Peter 2:25); while Paul states, quite bluntly, that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Rom.3:23). "All" includes even those who are "religious" - even those who hold high office in the church!

Leaving the ninety-nine sheep was not an indication that the shepherd didn't care for them. Of course he did. But they were together and, even in the wilderness, were safe. However, when he went to look for that foolish sheep that was lost, he showed that each individual animal was important to him. Note, too, that when the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he doesn't treat it harshly for its foolishness. No, "he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing." (v.5).

And there is rejoicing! We are not told how the sheep felt but, remembering that the sheep represents the sinner who has been saved, those who have been touched in that way, and have become children of the heavenly Father, know this joy - and God's Word confirms it. When the Ethiopian eunuch to whom God the Holy Spirit had directed Philip was baptised as a disciple of Jesus, "the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing." (Acts 8:39; emphasis added). The shepherd, we have noted, was also rejoicing. And I guess that the event that comes second to our rejoicing when we are saved, is being used in the salvation of another. Finally, Jesus assures us that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." (v.7). Yes, the very angels rejoice when a lost sheep is found - when a sinner is saved. By the way, there is actually no-one who does not need to repent! Jesus is here referring to those who think that they have no such need - the "self-righteous". Remember the Pharisee in the Temple, in another parable! (Luke 15: 9-14).

Are you still a "lost sheep", lost in sin through your own carelessness? Then let the Good Shepherd find you, and bring you into the fold of His body. You will never regret it.