The Lost Coin
A woman loses one of her ten silver coins and searches the whole house until she finds it. Heaven rejoices the same way over one sinner who repents.
Jesus continued: 'Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
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.'
This parable is the second in a trilogy about lost things (the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son). The coin was a drachma, worth about a day's wages—significant for a poor household. Some scholars suggest these ten coins may have been part of her marriage dowry, worn as a headpiece, making the loss both financial and sentimental.
The woman's response to finding the coin mirrors the shepherd's joy over finding his sheep. She lights a lamp because peasant homes in Palestine had few windows and were dark. She sweeps carefully because the coin could be hidden in the packed dirt floor or among the reeds.
The point is clear: God actively searches for those who are lost. And when one is found, heaven erupts in celebration. Every person matters infinitely to God.