The Woman Who Loses a Piece of Silver - Luke 15:8

The beloved physician Luke wrote concerning Jesus, “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them. And he spoke this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance”, and in chapter fifteen and verse eight of his book Luke wrote how Jesus talks about a woman who loses, “a piece of silver” where we read:

Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, does not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?

The verse reads, “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, ...” Luke began with the words, “either what woman” or “or what female human being” “having ten pieces of silver” which means “owning, holding and possessing ten drachma which is a Greek silver coin about the same weight as a Roman denarius”, “if she lose one piece” or “whether the woman loses one single piece of her ten pieces of silver”. Luke shared how Jesus presented another example of something that was lost, and this time He referred to a “woman” who owned “ten drachma” and “lost” one of them.

The verse continues, “... does not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?” Luke added the words, “does not light a candle” or “does not by any means kindle a lamp”, “and sweep the house” which means “and brush to clean her dwelling place, habitation and abode”, “and seek diligently” or “and look for, crave, desire and strive for the lost piece of silver carefully” “till she find it” which means “until the woman discovers and detects where it is”? Luke shared how Jesus said the woman who lost her piece of silver would “light a lamp”, “sweep her house” and “look carefully” for the lost coin until she discovered where it was.

When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn another story from Jesus concerning a woman who loses one of ten pieces of silver. Because the “coin” has value, she begins to take measures to discover where it is. She “lights a candle or lamp”. She “sweeps” her home, and she “searches with great care” until she discovers where the coin is. God does the same for “lost people” in the world. Because they have gone astray from His laws and ways, they are as “lost” as the “sheep” in Jesus' previous story and as this “coin” in this story. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of every person, and now He is pursuing diligently everyone as He asks them to come to Him. Those who yield their lives to Jesus will be “found”, and they shall receive forgiveness of their sins and everlasting life with God.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus says the woman, “calls her friends and her neighbors together” to celebrate, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".