Luk 15:8-10 | KingComments | STEP | In the second part of the parable the Lord presents a woman who loses a silver coin. The silver coin – literally drachma – was a Greek currency and therefore not legal tender in Israel. Therefore it seems that the ‘silver coins’ were used for personal decoration of head, neck or arm. This decoration is very much appreciated by the women and that is why she would like to keep it intact, possibly more out of emotional value than because of its monetary value. The silver coin is worth a lot to the woman. Maybe it belonged to a piece of jewelry with ten silver coins that lost all its shine because of the loss of that one coin. Hence the loss of one of the ten coins gives rise to a diligent search by the owner. That is why finding it leads her to call her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her. The woman represents more the personal work of the Holy Spirit in people’s hearts than the work of Christ that is seen in previous history. In accordance with the position of the woman according to God’s thoughts, the Spirit has taken a position of submission, of activity in the background or in the hidden. A lost coin is a lifeless thing. That is a suitable example to express what a lost sinner is according to the thoughts of the Spirit of God. It represents a human being who is spiritually a dead thing with just as little strength to go back as the lost coin. Therefore the silver coin gives us a fitting picture of the sinner, who does not have the least power to return to God ( ). The sinner is utterly hopeless. Only the Holy Spirit can do something here. He lights a lamp in the dark heart of the sinner. In the work of the woman we see the work of the Spirit. The woman does not simply accept that she lost her coin. She lights a lamp and sweeps the house and searches carefully until she finds the coin. The lamp represents the testimony of the Word of God. The Spirit is especially characterized by activity and in His work He uses the Word. Therefore it says here that the lamp is lit. But that’s not all. The woman sweeps the house and searches carefully until she finds the coin. There is love that goes to great lengths, that takes away obstacles and works carefully and searches thoroughly. If she had not searched so thoroughly and persistently, the coin would never have been found. Thus, the Spirit of God is tirelessly busy to find and bring to life a lost and dead sinner. By finding the lost coin the collection of coins is complete again. In addition to the possibility, already mentioned, that it is about a decoration, it can also be an heirloom or a wedding gift. In any case, the purpose is to make it clear that the lost silver coin has a special value in the eyes of the woman. We also see this in the joy that the finding of the coin causes in the woman. She wants to share that joy with her friends and neighbors. It depicts the joy of the Holy Spirit when a sinner repents. This joy that arises when a sinner repents is the joy of God. It is joy “in the presence of” the angels, not “with” the angels. What is their presence, what do they see? They see the joy of God over a converted sinner.

‏ Luke 15:8-10

The Lost Coin

In the second part of the parable the Lord presents a woman who loses a silver coin. The silver coin – literally drachma – was a Greek currency and therefore not legal tender in Israel. Therefore it seems that the ‘silver coins’ were used for personal decoration of head, neck or arm. This decoration is very much appreciated by the women and that is why she would like to keep it intact, possibly more out of emotional value than because of its monetary value. The silver coin is worth a lot to the woman. Maybe it belonged to a piece of jewelry with ten silver coins that lost all its shine because of the loss of that one coin. Hence the loss of one of the ten coins gives rise to a diligent search by the owner. That is why finding it leads her to call her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her.

The woman represents more the personal work of the Holy Spirit in people’s hearts than the work of Christ that is seen in previous history. In accordance with the position of the woman according to God’s thoughts, the Spirit has taken a position of submission, of activity in the background or in the hidden.

A lost coin is a lifeless thing. That is a suitable example to express what a lost sinner is according to the thoughts of the Spirit of God. It represents a human being who is spiritually a dead thing with just as little strength to go back as the lost coin. Therefore the silver coin gives us a fitting picture of the sinner, who does not have the least power to return to God (Eph 2:1). The sinner is utterly hopeless. Only the Holy Spirit can do something here. He lights a lamp in the dark heart of the sinner. In the work of the woman we see the work of the Spirit.

The woman does not simply accept that she lost her coin. She lights a lamp and sweeps the house and searches carefully until she finds the coin. The lamp represents the testimony of the Word of God. The Spirit is especially characterized by activity and in His work He uses the Word. Therefore it says here that the lamp is lit.

But that’s not all. The woman sweeps the house and searches carefully until she finds the coin. There is love that goes to great lengths, that takes away obstacles and works carefully and searches thoroughly. If she had not searched so thoroughly and persistently, the coin would never have been found. Thus, the Spirit of God is tirelessly busy to find and bring to life a lost and dead sinner. By finding the lost coin the collection of coins is complete again.

In addition to the possibility, already mentioned, that it is about a decoration, it can also be an heirloom or a wedding gift. In any case, the purpose is to make it clear that the lost silver coin has a special value in the eyes of the woman. We also see this in the joy that the finding of the coin causes in the woman. She wants to share that joy with her friends and neighbors.

It depicts the joy of the Holy Spirit when a sinner repents. This joy that arises when a sinner repents is the joy of God. It is joy “in the presence of” the angels, not “with” the angels. What is their presence, what do they see? They see the joy of God over a converted sinner.