Word@Work Luke242 - Luke 15:8-10
Published: Thu, 11/25/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
INTO THE LIGHT
Luke 15:8-10 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours 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." (NIV)
Luke put the three 'lost' parables together in this chapter (lost sheep, coin and son), but they all have one meaning. People who are away from fellowship with God, because of their sin and rebellion, are lost: they do not know where they are and cannot work out how to get anywhere. They need help! In the parable of the coin, the inanimate silver object is incapable of helping itself. Detached from the bride, who would have worn it as a head-dress with nine other coins, the silver drachma had lost its glory and its purpose. The bridal symbol was incomplete and the bride was missing something so precious that she had to find it by lighting a lamp.
Light reveals what is lost. Jesus was saying that He was determined to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). His method was to use the light of truth which would shine into even the darkest place where people try to hide away from God. The joy of finding the coin is real and a cause for heavenly celebration. Of course a coin cannot repent, but a person can and must! That is the 'other side of the coin' to the relentless passion of the resolute searcher. There is no place in heaven for accidental or unwilling converts; but the repentant person is not only safely found, but has a personal desire to be safe for ever.
Every person is precious to Jesus, which was why He was willing to sacrifice Himself for them. Most unbelievers have no idea of the trouble God has gone to in order to bring them into the light of His love, to be safe for ever. But it is true. Our evangelism is not just our good idea; it is God's initiative - all we are doing is to tell others what the Lord has done, and urging them to respond to His love. Heaven's response is undiluted joy because for each 'found' and repentant sinner there is a whole eternity of joyful fellowship ahead. However, most people resist the light and hide from it. The task of the church is to switch the light on, letting people see how lost they are and how the Lord longs to welcome back all those who repent of their darkness and want to live in His light.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for coming to find me, for exposing the darkness where I was hiding and urging me to repent and allow myself to be found by You. Please help me to understand that You have placed me where I live and work so that others might see the change in my life and desire to be found by You also. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Luke put the three 'lost' parables together in this chapter (lost sheep, coin and son), but they all have one meaning. People who are away from fellowship with God, because of their sin and rebellion, are lost: they do not know where they are and cannot work out how to get anywhere. They need help! In the parable of the coin, the inanimate silver object is incapable of helping itself. Detached from the bride, who would have worn it as a head-dress with nine other coins, the silver drachma had lost its glory and its purpose. The bridal symbol was incomplete and the bride was missing something so precious that she had to find it by lighting a lamp.
Light reveals what is lost. Jesus was saying that He was determined to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). His method was to use the light of truth which would shine into even the darkest place where people try to hide away from God. The joy of finding the coin is real and a cause for heavenly celebration. Of course a coin cannot repent, but a person can and must! That is the 'other side of the coin' to the relentless passion of the resolute searcher. There is no place in heaven for accidental or unwilling converts; but the repentant person is not only safely found, but has a personal desire to be safe for ever.
Every person is precious to Jesus, which was why He was willing to sacrifice Himself for them. Most unbelievers have no idea of the trouble God has gone to in order to bring them into the light of His love, to be safe for ever. But it is true. Our evangelism is not just our good idea; it is God's initiative - all we are doing is to tell others what the Lord has done, and urging them to respond to His love. Heaven's response is undiluted joy because for each 'found' and repentant sinner there is a whole eternity of joyful fellowship ahead. However, most people resist the light and hide from it. The task of the church is to switch the light on, letting people see how lost they are and how the Lord longs to welcome back all those who repent of their darkness and want to live in His light.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for coming to find me, for exposing the darkness where I was hiding and urging me to repent and allow myself to be found by You. Please help me to understand that You have placed me where I live and work so that others might see the change in my life and desire to be found by You also. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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