Parable Of Lost Coin
- Emlyn Fonseca
- Nov 4
- 13 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Luke 15: 8 God's Joy - The Joy of recovering the lost
Introduction
Duet 6: 4,5 - Hear (Shema), O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. This God exists in and consists of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. We were created in the image and the likeness of God; we have spirit, soul, and body in contrast to the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom. The human kingdom is made in the image and the likeness of God. The 3 “Lost” parables reflect the heart of the triune God and His love for family Sons/ Daughters – not just souls but nations and people groups (we all derive our name from the Father). These are not repetitions; they all declare the same main truth, but each one reveals a different phase of it and when combined together give a complete view of the Heart of God and His Kingdom – None be lost.
1. | V1-7 : The Parable of the Lost Sheep |
WHO: God the Son – Yeshua Lord Jesus Christ. The good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep to redeem/save them. Analogy: Lost sheep. Wandering sheep. JOY: Jesus, God the Son, said he went to the cross “for the joy set before him.” | |
2. | V8-10 : The Parable of the Lost Coin |
WHO: God the Holy Spirit working through the woman (ecclesia bride) who uses the lamp (Word) and broom to sweep to restore sons/daughters and ultimately nations. Analogy: Lost coin. Mankind is dead like the coin in trespasses and sins. JOY : The Holy Spirit also desires joy; the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. | |
3. | V11-31 : The Parable of the Lost Son |
WHO: God the Father – the prodigal father running to the prodigal son. Holy Spirit work already in the prodigal son to return to the Father Analogy: Lost son JOY : Fathers joy for a restored Son. |
Context Audience : Luke 15 is continuation of a Sabbath meal starting in chapter 14, where Jesus had been invited to one of the rulers of the Pharisees’ place.
The tax collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus to listen attentively to Him – they were considered outcasts in Jewish society, despised for their moral failings and their association with the Roman occupation. Men and women together. They were meek, mourning, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, the spiritually destitute, and those whose souls were tortured.
The complaining Pharisees and scribes - the religious elite, known for their strict adherence to the law and their self-righteous attitudes. (Luke 15:1-2).
The disciples of Jesus – a mixed group of men and women.
Jesus chose to speak in parables to illustrate truths using real life analogies. He did not say anything to them without using a parable (Mark 4:34). By welcoming and dining with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus challenged the social and religious norms of His day. He was demonstrating that God’s love and grace extended to all people, regardless of their past or their position in society.
 | Place: This incident takes place near Capernaum, around the Sea of Galilee. Houses in 1st century Galilee were constructed from black basalt stone ,a dark volcanic rock readily available. Walls were built using this dark stone, which absorbed light rather than reflecting it, creating inherently dark interior spaces. These were small, 1-room structures serving as simple dwellings for peasant families. Narrow ventilation slits positioned high on the walls, approx. 14 inches wide by 2 inches high, located about 7 feet up the wall mainly for smoke to escape and not illumination. Floors consisted of packed dirt or compacted earth, sometimes mixed with clay and ash to create a harder surface. |
 | This little bit of silver must have been one of the coins which Jewish, and indeed other Eastern women, sew on to their head-dresses. There were no bank accounts or post-office savings banks for women in those days; their economic earnings were very small. If the woman lost her coins: her husband immediately suspected her of a wrong use of them; and the laws of divorce were so heavily loaded against the wife that a man might divorce his wife if but one of those marital coins was missing from her headgear. |
Examples of mohar: |
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Message:
(v8) - Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins [each one equal to a day’s wages] and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
The coin here is a drachma/denarius and would be approximately be one days wage - weighing about 4.3 grams. It is possible, the woman was married and was trusted by her husband to handle the family money and was in charge of the household and an important figure in the Galilean family. The significance of losing even a single coin, while the woman still possessed nine, underscores the limited financial resources of many households and the importance of each coin for basic subsistence or personal savings.
It is possible that women would keep the money in a purse or in this case these ten pieces of silver, really bound together, are like a dowry that is really the headdress of a woman to wear on her head for a wedding day. It is a gift that she received, and also it is something that she brings into the marriage, into the wedding; that when she is going to be married, she will have this dowry with her. In Hebrew, it is called mohar. (bridal payment, dowry). The term is included in the text of the traditional ketubah, or Jewish wedding contract.
Gen 24: 52. Abraham’s servant brought out jewellery of silver, jewellery of gold, and articles of clothing, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and her mother.
Gen 29:8. For Rachel : Jacob loved Rachel; so, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
These are not just ordinary coins - they represent wealth and value. Think of it in our modern parallel: something like the diamonds on a ring. And so, you have given a beautiful ring with diamonds on it, and one of them, maybe the main one falls off. Ladies, would you not go searching for that thing everywhere? Absolutely, you would.
There are 4 steps here :-
Coin in lost. The coin was lost in the dust.
Coin in sought diligently and carefully by the woman.
Coin is found.
Coin is celebrated with family and neighbours.
Any of the listeners would understand this woman’s anxiety. So, they would agree that lighting her lamp and doing a full-scale search through the house would be logical steps to take. The woman evidently said, "The money is lost, I must find that first." The loss was so serious that she stopped doing other work and started to search , seek it diligently.
Search diligently word is ‘epimelōs’ – urgent sense of care. She set her heart to find her money herself – no servant no family member – she herself. In the dark room she first lit a lamp to illuminate the way but was not content with that. She went on to even sweep the dust and thus probably throw dust around the house and in our own eyes and face, coughing and maybe around the neighbours’ homes also.
Just imagine if any distractions came – she would have wished for them to come later so she could just find and be reunited with her missing silver coin. All she had on her mind was the ‘missing silver coin’. This woman sought for her piece of silver continuously -- "till she found it.
(v9) - And when she has found it, she calls together her [women] friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I found the lost coin!’
Probably a situation of a mess and confusion but after she finds it, the woman is elated. She never stopped until the coin was found. Unable to keep the news to herself, she announces the discovery to those around her, and invites her women friends and neighbours (as the culture of that day) to celebrate with her. The joy of finding the coin trumped the trouble of searching.
(v10) - In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents [that is, changes his inner self—his old way of thinking, regrets past sins, lives his life in a way that proves repentance; and seeks God’s purpose for his life].”
Holy Spirit always lead us first to repentance. What a joy when one is snatched from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light or restored back again. What joy there is in the church of God understands this and lives to her true potential. The angels are wherever the saints are, beholding our orders and rejoicing in our joy. The angels share in God’s joy, celebrating all that brings him pleasure, especially redemption.
One element of joy in heaven comes from the salvation of sinners. God finds joy in himself, and we find our joy in him. What contributes to God’s joy? The salvation of every sinner. Romans 14:17 says, “The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy.” A “joy unspeakable and full of glory”—a joy that cannot be fully described.
Lost coins find it impossible to repent , Jesus spoke this to show that repentance is important for lost people.
John the Baptist, when he came, his first message: repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus began his ministry: repent, for the kingdom of God is now. Repentance brings on the refreshing of the Holy Spirit, repent that our lives might be found in that book of life, our sins blotted out. This is not a one time but a daily thing. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness in this present age, against spiritual wickedness in high places and the enemy will do everything he can to see you fall and to lose your first love. (Eph 6:12) Cannot do it on our own strength.
The Interpretation of this parable :
The coin represents mankind / humanity. Each of us is as a piece of silver create in His image and likeness but lost, fallen, dishonoured, and some are buried in dust, dirt and other places. We are lost by sinful nature but found by grace (Lord Jesus Christ). All humanity are really lost. We belong to God by creation, but because sin came in, we were lost. The word “lost” simply means we have gone astray. We’ve all sinned and departed from the presence of the Lord, and so now God is seeking to save us.
The woman here is a picture of God – the Holy Spirit and also the ecclesia (bride of Christ) in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. Just as this woman lost a coin, this is the desire of God to bring to himself a people like you and I, who were lost.
Just like the coin is ‘not living/ but dead’ – we who are/were dead in sin and trespasses are ignorant of being lost. Sometimes we like the coin can be content to be anywhere even on dirty floor, mire and be totally unaware or deliberately disobedient.
The coin was lost but not forgotten and not hopeless. The woman (the owner) personally remembered she had 10 and diligently sought it until she found the missing coin. The woman had hopes of recovering it, and therefore she did not despair, but set to work at once setting aside all her other work until she found the lost coin and was re-united with it. This is the heart of God and here should be the heart of his bride the ekklesia who should seek the lost ones until they are found and back.
The woman used the tools with her – the light ‘Word of God’ and the broom to go searching thoroughly. (Ps 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.) Holy Spirit always works in conjunction and agreement with the will/ word of God. Imagine if the ecclesia in India is like this woman searching the streets, allies and sweeping through , getting dirty but so flint focused – we would be like the early church who turned the world upside down.(Acts 17:6)
The lost coin was claimed as ‘my coin’ by the woman. Such a precious moment. It was lost but now is found and also valued and treasured. Just like the coin no one is lost hopelessly and outside the purview of God’s love. Song of Sol 6:3 - I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine;
Applications:
Identity be settled: Just as the woman searched diligently for the lost coin with the lamp / light and the broom the ecclesia needs to have the heart of God and understand true love is first being loved by God – the sacrificial love of bridegroom king Jesus who laid down His life to save us. May our love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. (Romans 12:9)
Ponder on the incredible lengths to which God has gone to seek us out and to bring us back to Himself, even when we were lost in sin and rebellion. Thank Him and bless Him. Ask Him to show us any of our own prejudices and biases, to repent of any attitudes of self-righteousness or superiority, and to actively seek out those who He shows us with His eyes and His heart of love. Use the light of His word and Holy Spirit to search your heart to show you any prejudice or faults. Where are you at with God right now? Where is your first love?
Luke 19:10 : The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. So must we, May we pursue with His love those who are lost some within and many outside the body of Christ. This woman sought for her piece of silver continuously till she found it. Even in the midst of troubles and harsh reception (uncomfortable) may the ecclesia continue to persevere keeping the end in mind. Bringing back sons to rightful place – house of God. May we be light houses and light bearers in areas of our life at home , school , college , workplaces, business and a voice of truth and discernment . Matt 12:37 : Let our words acquit us and not condemn us. Let everything be down out of a heart of love and knowing how much God has loved us first. Shining the light not on their face but to the darkness around for them to see.
Searching with light and broom means we go deep with the goal to find. As the ecclesia may we not just be content with Sunday church but go beyond through the week ourselves (no delegating authority to anyone else) actively pursuing what the Lord has planted on our hearts. It is not just the duty of pastors or leaders – all and even I have a role to play. Oh, may fathers and mothers arise to go and gather the lost sons and daughters and bring them in to fellowship and their true destiny. These could be simple phone calls or a meal or a message. Do it consistently. Romans 12:11-13 - Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
How do we spend our time through the week – with the Lord and His people? A model is the early church is Acts 2:42-43. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
Parents instruct your children in the Lord and teach by obedience and your life examples – don’t leave it to schools or teachers or anyone else. Rom 12:10 - Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour.
Effectively use the gifts of grace God has bestowed on us. (Romans 12:3-8)
Prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
Service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,[f] with zeal;
Acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. and finally Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Summary:
There is a need for great discernment as believers respond to these 3 short parables. Sometimes we will need to go all out to find what’s lost (the coin, sheep) and may be quickly too. Yet, in the case of the ‘lost’ son, it required patience on the Father’s part as he waited longingly for the son to realise and return home. Sometimes, believers get these two mixed up and cause more damage than good.
Mankind is the object of God’s divine mercy and love. God’s love is not based on our worthiness or our moral performance but on His own character and grace. No one is too lost or too far gone for God to pursue and to save , His heart is for nations to be sons. Israel His firstborn.
We are to rejoice over every sinner who repents and is restored to fellowship with Him. Are we like the Pharisees who have prejudices and viewed sinners as irredeemable and unworthy of God’s mercy? Ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts to see anything impure and heal it. May we earnestly desire every gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit to extend His kingdom here on earth.
Do you feel condemned? It is not from God - there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. He confronts us to come back to His heart. He is looking continuously for the lost so we can embrace and so must we, the ecclesia as His bride and legislative assembly here on earth. You think that nobody cares for you , why, heaven and earth care for you! So let the mind of Christ rule over you , engulf you and flow through you. You may be lost but you are not hopeless and have purpose. People may forsake you but He will never will. Be rooted in the love of Christ.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your ‘lost coins’ that you need to be aware of? Is it you? The Spirit of God himself finds sinners, and we the ecclesia are the instrument of their recovery and destiny.
Closing:
May the Church move in authority and bring nations (God’s sons) into their true destiny to be market place evangelists, government legislature and kingdom builders. Matt 5: 14 - You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. May we be light bearers of kingdom culture and extend His kingdom here because God has promised with spirit of revelation and discernment- The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
References:
Background
Kainos Church India, Bengaluru led by Ps. Manoj and Lincy Iype is a gathering open to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church is ideally located for believers in the Koramangala, HSR Layout, Agara, Sarjapur Road, Bellandur areas of Bengaluru and our Church Service in English starts at 10am on Sundays.
These notes are from the Sunday Sermon held on 2nd November 2025