St Luke 15: 8 – 10
‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’
Reflection
Today’s reading is the second of three parables in Luke 15 about God’s deep concern for those who are ‘lost’. All three parables invite us into the tension in the story: will the search end happily?
Of these three parables, this one uniquely has a ‘lost’ item, the coin. We have all mislaid something: the car keys, a purse/wallet, mobile-phone – and we can maybe empathise.
Does the coin represent a significant amount of money? Elsewhere in the Gospels, the silver coin represents a day’s wage. Losing so much money would cause anyone to interrupt the day and search until the money is found!
But in the text, what did the coin mean to this woman? Some scholars suggest the silver coin might be part of the woman’s dowry. Others suggest that the coin might have been part of a headdress given by her betrothed. Loss of either could scupper her wedding plans – hence her searching fervour!
The point is maybe that it matters that the set is complete. All or nothing!
The woman in the parable reaches out to others only once the coin is found. Why not invite friends and neighbours to assist in the search? Maybe she was embarrassed to have lost something so valuable, but once the coin is found, she can rejoice and can now share in the funny story with a happy ending.
Whichever of these readings of the text resonates with you – or maybe one of your own –the central message once again is the value and importance with which God considers every human.
The Bible has many passages which reflect God’s specific connection with every human. Two examples – Isaiah 43:1: “I have called you by name, you are mine.” Psalm 139:13: “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Today is Shrove Tuesday. While in the UK, we may limit our ‘festivities’ to pancakes, other countries have far more exuberant celebrations like ‘Mardi Gras’. Sometimes, we just need to celebrate our salvation, just as we read about the angels’ joy, just as the woman celebrated her find.
Prayer
Loving God,
thank you that you are the Shepherd,
the Shepherd who does not give up on a lost sheep.
Thank you that you are the Searching Woman,
the Woman who will not stop looking.
You place great value on each one of us,
you call each one of us by name.
Help to realise the joy afresh,
the joy of the angels when we are found. Amen.