The Lost Sheep And The Lost Coin
THE LOST SHEEP AND THE LOST COIN
LUKE 15:1-10
Jesus shows he is like God the Father searching for his lost children.
The key word for this chapter is “lost.” The sheep was lost, the coin was lost, the son was lost—and all were found. The Lord put a new meaning into the word, brought into relief and clarity its pathos and its tragedy. The proud custodians of “religion” had no pity or regard for the outcast crowd who saw with wistful eyes the new world, the new prospect, which Christ offered.
Folly, failure to mark the danger which lurked in the world of every day, thoughtless preoccupation with the petty needs led the sheep astray. From the beginning of the Bible to the end, the shepherd’s calling and the shepherd’s flock have formed an image. Moses was trained in the desert for the leading of the flock of God, the Lord is the Shepherd in the most heart-warming of all Psalms. He claims the title in the last book of the Bible to be written. It would make an interesting study to follow the thought, with the aid of a concordance, through all Scripture.
The similitude of the sheep is not flattering for arrogant man. The sheep is a foolish animal, helpless before bold and ruthless predators, needing protection—the crook which restrains as well as the staff which defends. Sheep go blindly in crowds, are prone to stampede, and fatally apt to wander. “All we like sheep are gone astray …”
The shepherd’s care is the notable part of the little parable; see Matthew 9:36; Romans 5:6. To the Eastern shepherd sheep are individuals, not a nameless flock. There is significance in the fact. If only one of all mankind had strayed, the whole plan of God’s salvation would still have been necessary, or God would have shown himself that much less than all-loving.
The woman searching for the lost coin reveals another aspect of the same truth. The ten pieces of silver were no doubt the poor woman’s dowry, worn about her neck as a precious possession. The nine which remained were no joy to her while her one was lost. The point of the story is again God’s care for the individual, for each one of us.
Notes 15:1: “were drawing near”—ie repeatedly. 15:8: the silver denarius was the equivalent of a day’s wage for a working mail. Dark Eastern houses and a rush floor would make the search difficult.