Messengers of the GospelSýnishorn

One Lost Coin

And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:9-10 NIV)

A young couple was recently in the process of buying a new home. They looked at home after home in their search. Then they found the perfect home with just the right amount of space in the right location. It was their dream home! They put in an offer on the home, which was accepted. When it came time to close on the home, they were required to submit a deposit of ten percent of the total price. Ten percent didn’t sound like much until they filled out the wire transfer request form with all those zeros.

They took a deep breath and pressed “Send”.

The next day, the title company called with bad news. The deposit was gone.

GONE.

The couple became frantic. “What? Gone? How is that even possible? We’re not talking about lunch money here! That was ten percent of the price of the home!”

It turned out that some shady group had intercepted the wire transfer, and the funds had disappeared into a black hole of deceit. The couple was heartbroken. They feared they would lose their dream home since they didn’t have additional funds. This would change their lives forever.

They felt an urgency to do something, but what could they do?

In desperation, the young lady reached out to her dad, a former military man. He reached out to a friend of his who was currently serving in the F.B.I. They hoped and prayed that the investigator might be able to help, but he warned them to keep their expectations low.

Then one day, the F.B.I. agent’s name popped up on their phone.

Nervously, they answered, “Hello?”

“Hello. This is John. I have good news. We were able to get the funds back.”

The phone fell to the floor. John sat on an open line while the couple lost their minds with excitement.

There was screaming!

There was shouting!

I’ve got to call my dad… I’ve got to call my mom…. Oh yeah, we’ve got to thank John!

“THANK YOU, JOHN!”

That story is based on a true story. Can you imagine the emotional rollercoaster of losing something so valuable to you and then finding it again?

In the parable of the Lost Coin, Jesus gave a very similar illustration to help his audience understand what happens when a person responds to the Gospel. In this parable, a woman has lost a silver coin, representing one-tenth of all her wealth. She searches for it carefully until she finds it. Then she invites her whole neighborhood to celebrate with her. It is a party they will all remember!

Notice the escalation going on in these parables. In the first parable, the sheep is one out of one hundred sheep. In the second parable, the coin is one of ten. The value has increased from 1% to 10%. How much would you celebrate if 10% of your savings had been lost but were now found?

The end of this short parable offers a fantastic snapshot into the spiritual realm. Jesus concluded the parable by saying, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10 NIV).

Imagine, for a moment (this will take a vivid imagination), the roar of rejoicing taking place in heaven when a lost sheep is found. All the Hosts of Heaven rejoicing! The angels of God are celebrating! Imagine the volume of countless voices rejoicing over the lost coin that has been found. Now, imagine Jesus putting up your picture and name in front of the Hosts of Heaven on the day you gave your life to Jesus. On that day, rejoicing broke out across all of Heaven. Just imagine!

Reflection:

What is the largest celebration you have ever seen?

Can you imagine the rejoicing in heaven when you trusted in Jesus?