Ten Pieces of Silver

[A] woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?  And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

 

Luke 15:8-9 (KJV)

Ten Pieces of Silver

In our text, the Bible uses the Greek word drachme {pronounced drakh-may} for silver. A drachma was a Greek silver coin that had about the same weight as a Roman denarius. Not only was a drachma worth a day's wages, but also in Biblical times, ten of these coins were given to a Palestinian woman on her wedding day – making them not only valuable, but also sentimental.  To loose one of these coins would be like loosing a wedding ring today.

Jesus uses this story to illustrate how it is when a sinner repents.

Mankind is precious to the Lord, and when one goes astray, it is a terrible thing. Mankind was created as being perfect – a piece of silver – however he fell and was lost. Every man since Adam is a lost piece of silver; fallen, dishonored, and some are buried amid foulness and dust.

The silver coin was altogether ignorant of its being lost. It is not a living thing therefore it has no consciousness. It is just as contented being in the dust on the floor as it is in being in a purse with other silver coins. The coin knew nothing of it being lost or sought after.

Man is the same way. The sinner is spiritually dead and is unconscious of his state. We cannot make him understand the danger and terror of his condition.

But this coin was not forgotten. The woman remembered that she at one time had ten coins, and now one was lost.

This is our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Mankind is lost but not forgotten. The heart of the Savior remembers them, and prays for them (john 17:20-23, Romans 8:34).

Even though the coin was lost, the woman knew where she would find it.  She knew it was somewhere in the house. There was still a hope that the coin would be found. Sinners have that same hope. They are still under the means of grace; still under the works of the Holy Spirit.

And just as the woman in our text lit a candle to help her find the lost coin, so Jesus is our light. The Bible tells us that He is “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105).

When the woman eventually finds the coin, she is overjoyed. So much so that she tells all of her friends and neighbors and have them rejoice with her.

We don’t always think of God as rejoicing, but in v. 10 Jesus tells us that there is rejoicing in heaven, and under what circumstances. “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repententh.”

The Bible goes on to say, “…as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Isaiah 62:5), and “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

As the old song says, "I once was lost, but now am found … "

Isn't it wonderful how joyous the angels are when a lost soul is found and led back into the flock?  How happy would our churches be if we shared Jesus' love and concern for the lost?