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BURIED TREASURE: Exploring The Parables Of Jesus

by J. W. Jepson, D.Min.

Copyright © 1997 by J. W. Jepson

All rights reserved, including the right to grant the following permission and to prohibit the misuse thereof:

The Author hereby grants permission to reproduce the text of this article, without changes or alterations*, as a ministry, but not for commercial or non-ministry purposes.

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18.

LOST IN THE HOUSE

"Either what 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 neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece that I had lost.

Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

--Luke 15:8-10

LOST IN THE HOUSE

As I begin to write, I am holding in my hand a brass token that came into my possession a few weeks ago. On one side is the image of an eagle. On the reverse side are the words, "no cash value."

As I pondered those words, I thought how the world as a whole places little or no value on the individual. Bombs explode, killing and maiming. Guns blaze, and children scream and bleed. It is as though "no cash value" were written across their foreheads.

God also looks at each one and He, too, affirms (but in a totally different sense), "no cash value." That is, no amount of money can possibly measure the worth of one human being.

This parable of Jesus is one of three recorded in Luke, chapter fifteen. All three are on the same subject: the priceless value of each individual soul.

The three parables differ, though, in emphasis. In the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, it is the Savior Who does the seeking. In the parable of the prodigal son, it is the lost son who seeks to be restored.

The sheep was lost through its own stupidity and impulsiveness. The coin was lost through the carelessness and neglect of another. The son was lost because of his willfulness. The sheep was lost abroad. The coin was lost at home. The sheep depicts man's loss to himself as well as to God. The coin focuses on the loss to God.

"I have found my sheep which was lost" (verse six). "I have found the piece which I had lost" (verse nine). Notice the difference.

In the parable of the lost coin, Jesus described a calamity. He did this for a reason: to show in terms of an earthly value how real and urgent are spiritual values. He made a parallel between how people feel about natural treasures and how God feels (and we ought to feel) about spiritual ones.

A Palestinian woman had ten silver drachmae. The drachma did not have a large monetary value in modern terms. But those ten pieces of silver could have been her life savings. They could have been even the coins of her dowry, worn on the front of her headgear. That would make the situation similar to the crisis of losing one's engagement or wedding ring.

Somehow she had lost one of her precious coins. This was such a crisis that the women who were her friends learned of it and became concerned. Her later invitation, "rejoice with me," would have seemed strange had she not informed them when the coin was lost.

That might even have been part of her search. The coin is lost! Where to go? Where to search? Let's see. Yesterday she was next-door visiting her neighbor.

"Did you notice any coins missing from my dowry?"

"No.

What about the lady across the street? She had stopped by there, too.

"Were all the coins in place?"

"Yes."

Carefully planned research is the only way to find that missing coin!

The house is the only place left. Every other possibility has been ruled out by the process of elimination. The lost coin must be in this house. Now that you know where to look, lady, go at it.

In those days the houses of the common people were simple, dimly-lit dwellings with dirt floors. The woman knew that the coin was in that house. So she lit a candle, turned everything upside down, grabbed a broom and made the dust fly.

She knew where to look, what tools to use and how to use them: and she had the determination to stay with the job until she recovered that coin. When she found it, she shared her joy with the whole neighborhood!

In this parable Jesus used a well-understood natural anxiety to demonstrate a far greater (but not so well-understood) spiritual anxiety.

Christ is emphasizing the worth of the individual. People are not cheap in God's sight!

The destructive forces of selfishness--greed, global power politics, exploitation, war, revolution, violence--roll over the poor masses like a phalanx of crushing juggernauts. In some parts of the world thousands die in natural disasters with barely a passing notice in the media. People sacrifice people in their struggle to gain their own ends, and (as Buttrick so aptly put it) "the human coin rolls into a dark corner."

Even when voices are raised and movements get under way for reform, often they are so concerned about "the people" they ignore the person.

"The people are what matter!" cries the revolutionary. "The person is what matters," replies the Master. For if the person is nothing, so are the people. A billion zeros add up to zero. The people are priceless because the person is.

Jesus made it clear: God is vitally concerned about what happens to each and every person. It was the one lost sheep, the one lost coin, the one lost son, that moved Heaven and earth. Each person is a whole world of eternal value. As someone has pointed out, the image of a King is stamped on that coin!

Only God realizes fully how great is the loss of one. A life of service and blessing--lost. An eternity of praise and glory to God--lost. Fellowship with God--lost. Heaven, earth, everybody loses forever when one soul is lost.

"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

He has made every believer a partner with Him in the great evangelistic search. So let's get with it. Rearrange whatever needs rearranging. Disturb the sluggish, ineffective status quo if need be. Raise the dust!

The coin was lost in the house. That is exactly where many precious souls are lost. We dare not assume that just because our children are not in trouble they are therefore in the kingdom. Though raised in church, if they do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, they are lost.

Is there a lost coin in your house? If so, perhaps the first thing to do is clean house. As the head of your home renew your commitment to Christ and His kingdom. Get rid of whatever it is that coin is hiding behind! Set your home in order and do it in love. Get yourselves and your family under control.

Walk in the Spirit. Establish a biblical lifestyle. Let the principles of the kingdom rule. Discipline attitudes and emotions.

The government of the home extends to every member of the family and every room in the house.

Together as a family, set sensible guidelines for the radio, the stereo, and the T. V. Build the family budget on the sound principles of Christian stewardship, including tithing. Examine the reading material in the home. Are there items to be eliminated, subscriptions to be canceled, or perhaps good ones to begin?

Are there ashtrays that need to be emptied and put away? Is there something in the refrigerator that should be poured down the sink?

Establish a pattern of faithfulness to the church. Let everyone know what the priorities are. Build a family altar.

Leave no dark corner anywhere for that coin to hide in!

Again, be sure to do it all in love. Even then, you are bound to raise some dust! But stick with it. Do not give in or give up. Remember, no seeking, no rejoicing. The time of rejoicing will come when you recover that priceless coin. Then the angels will join in the glad celebration.

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19. Rebellion, Ruin, And Restoration

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