|
"Either what woman having ten pieces of silver,
if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep
the house, and look diligently till she find it?
And when she hath found it she calleth her friends
and her neighbours together saying, Rejoice with me; for
I have found the piece that I had lost.
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence
of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."
Luke 15: 8-10.
We all like a good story especially one that is told to stress
a point, to make a plea, to help to convince someone of something
that needs explanation and clarification. Jesus used ordinary
objects, everyday experiences, to make clear to people what
He wanted them to know about God, themselves and others.
The story of the lost coin is the second in the trio of stories
Jesus told as recorded in Luke 15 to teach his lessons on
the love of God, and how He deals gently with those who turn
to Him in repentance and faith. The others were the Lost Sheep
and the Lost Son. It tells of a woman who lost a coin in her
house. Suggestions have been made on the value or purpose
of the coin. Interesting, perhaps, but the thrust of the story
is that the loss of the coin mattered so much that when she
found it she was so delighted that she rushed to tell everyone
that she had found the lost coin. Jesus used the story to
say that God is delighted when the lost person is found.
The coin was lost, not in the field or in the far country
but in the home. The home can be wonderful or dreadful, happy
or miserable. It can provide a good life with loving relationships
in any environment; character forming and developing standards
of behaviour beneficial and lasting.
But home can be a horrible place, loveless, uncaring, indisciplined
and repelling to family and community.
When home provides the beginnings and continuance of a well
ordered life it is a constant cause for thankfulness. But
thoughts of home may have only bad memories.
The early experiences of one's life affects us throughout
our lives.
Whatever our memories of home, good or bad, we need to go
on with life constantly stretching ourselves in our living
and learning, for life is a journey with choices on the way
we travel and with our fellow travellers and travel guides.
The thought persists that we should be constantly stretching
ourselves to realise fully our potential, for we are people
with responsibilities, and opportunities, to discover that
we can often do more that we thought we could. There is the
reminder in the story that the lost coin retained its value,
for when it was found its usefulness was restored. People
estranged from God, lost as Jesus described them, remain of
inestimable value to Him and when they come back to Him it
is to a new life of value and usefulness. Jesus called it
abundant life.
The woman searched for her lost coin. Jesus is the searching
Saviour. He said, "The son of man is come to seek and
to save the lost." Seeking and saving is His passed-on
commission to the Christian. It is the task of the church,
the people of God, to bring people to faith in Christ and
to a way of life consonant with that faith. He depends on
Christians to speak, act and live for Him. The Christian following
Jesus must contribute to what is for the good of others. He
condemned the fruitless fig tree, the saltless salt.
Every Christian is valuable to God and to people in whatever
they contribute large or small to Him and to them.
Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long
|
