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Luke 15:8
Verse
Context
The Parable of the Lost Coin
7In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent. 8Or what woman who has ten silver coins and loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep her house, and search carefully until she finds it?9And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors to say, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’
Sermons
G.W. North
Joshua Daniel
Erlo Stegen
David Ravenhill
George FoxGeorge Fox
Zac PoonenSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
Ten pieces of silver - Δραχμας δεκα, ten drachmas. I think it always best to retain the names of these ancient coins, and to state their value in English money. Every reader will naturally wish to know by what names such and such coins were called in the countries in which they were current. The Grecian drachma was worth about sevenpence three farthings of our money; being about the same value as the Roman denarius. The drachma that was lost is also a very expressive emblem of a sinner who is estranged from God, and enslaved to habits of iniquity. The longer a piece of money is lost, the less probability is there of its being again found; as it may not only lose its color, and not be easily observed, but will continue to be more and more covered with dust and dirt: or its value may be vastly lessened by being so trampled on that a part of the substance, together with the image and superscription, may be worn off. So the sinner sinks deeper and deeper into the impurities of sin, loses even his character among men, and gets the image and superscription of his Maker defaced from his heart. He who wishes to find the image of God, which he has lost by sin, must attend to that word which will be a lantern to his steps, and receive that Spirit which is a light to the soul, to convince of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He must sweep the house - put away the evil of his doings; and seek diligently - use every means of grace, and cry incessantly to God, till he restore to him the light of his countenance. Though parables of this kind must not be obliged to go on all fours, as it is termed; yet they afford many useful hints to preachers of the Gospel, by which they may edify their hearers. Only let all such take care not to force meanings on the words of Christ which are contrary to their gravity and majesty.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
II. THE LOST COIN. (Luk 15:8-10) sweep the house--"not done without dust on man's part" [BENGEL].
John Gill Bible Commentary
Either what woman, having ten pieces of silver,.... Or "drachmas": a "drachma" was the fourth part of a shekel, and of the same value with a Roman penny; and was worth of our money, seven pence half penny; so that the ten pieces amounted to six shilling's, and three pence: the Ethiopic version renders it "ten rings": this parable is delivered, with the same view as the former; the scope and design of them are alike, being occasioned by the same circumstance, only the passiveness of a sinner in conversion is here more fully signified; who can contribute no more to the first act of conversion, which is purely God's work, than a lost piece of silver to its being found: by the "ten pieces or silver" are designed, all the Jews, or the whole body of that people; as they were before signified, by the hundred sheep; they having been God's peculiar treasure, though they were now in general become reprobate silver: and by the "woman" the proprietor of them, is meant Christ; and in what sense he was the owner of them, has been shown on Luk 15:4. The "nine" pieces design the Scribes and Pharisees; and the one lost piece, expressed in the next clause, if she lose one piece, intends the elect among the Jews, and who chiefly consisted of publicans and sinners; and the regard had to these, is signified by the following expressions, doth not light a candle: by which is meant, not the light of nature or reason in man: for though this is called a candle, and is of Christ's lighting, yet that by which he looks up his lost people, for this is become very dim: and though by it men may know there is a God, and the difference between moral good and evil, by it they cannot come at the knowledge of things spiritual; as of God in Christ, of the sin of nature, and of the plague of the heart; nor of the way of salvation by Christ, nor of the work of the Spirit, and the nature and need of it; nor of the Scriptures of truth, and of the doctrines of the Gospel, nor of the things of another world: neither is the law of Moses intended; for though there was light by it into the knowledge of sin, yet not clear; and though the ceremonial law was a shadow of Christ, and did give some instructions about him, and the doctrines of the Gospel, and blessings of grace, yet but very obscure hints: but by this candle is meant, the Gospel itself; which, like a candle, is lighted up in the evening of the world; and may be removed, as it sometimes is, from place to place; and where it is set, and blessed, it gives light, and is useful both to work and walk by; it does not always burn alike clear, or is always held forth in the same purity: and it will give the greatest light at last, as a candle does, even at the end of the world: now Christ is the lighter of this, and from him it has all its light, who is the maker of it; he keeps it light, and by it he looks up and finds out his elect ones; though this is not a direction to him, who perfectly knows who they are, and where they be, but is rather a light to them, that they may know and find him: and sweep the house: which phrase sometimes designs outward reformation, as in Mat 12:44 and sometimes God's judgments upon a people, as in Isa 14:23 but here the preaching of the Gospel, and the power that goes along with it, to the the effectual calling of the elect: the "house" in which Christ's lost piece of silver, or his chosen ones were, may design the nation of the Jews, who are often called the house of Israel; this was a house of God's building and choosing, and where he dwelt; and among these people for a long time, God's elect lay, though all of them were not so; and about this time the Lord was about to break up house keeping with them; yet as there were some few among them, that were to be looked up and called, therefore this house must be swept, as it was by the ministry of John the Baptist, by Christ himself, and by his apostles: and this suggests, what must be the state and condition of God's elect, being in this house, before it was swept, and they found out; they were out of sight, in great obscurity and darkness, with a deal of rubbish and dirt upon them, and pollution in them; and impotent to that which is good, and to their own recovery, and yet capable of being recovered: and this phrase hints at the power and efficacy of divine grace, that goes along with the word, in looking up and finding lost sinners; in enlightening their dark minds, quickening them, being dead in sin, taking away their stony hearts, regenerating them, enstamping the divine image upon them, removing every thing from them they trusted in, and working faith in them, to look to, and believe in Christ: and as in sweeping of an house, a great stir is made, a dust raised, and things are moved out of their place; so by the preaching of the Gospel, an uproar is made in the sinner himself; in his conscience, which is filled with a horrible sight of sin; which is very loathsome, and causes uneasy reflections, fills with shame and confusion, and greatly burdens and distresses, and with the terrors of the law, and with dreadful apprehensions of hell and damnation; in his will there is a reluctancy to part with sinful lusts and pleasures, with sinful companions, and with his own righteousness, and to be saved by Christ alone, and to serve him, and bear his cross: and in his understanding, things appear in a different light than they before did: and great stir and opposition is made by Satan, to hinder the preaching of the Gospel, as much as in him lies, and persons from coming to hear it; and if they do, he endeavours to hinder, by catching it from them, or diverting them from that; by insinuating, it is either too soon or too late, to mind religion; or that sin is either so great that it cannot be forgiven, or so trivial, that a few prayers, tears, alms deeds, &c. will make amends for it; by distressing them about their election, or about the willingness of Christ to save them; or by stirring up others to dissuade and discourage them. Moreover, when the Gospel is preached in purity and with power, and souls are converted, there is a great stir and uproar in the world, and among the men of it; because the doctrines of it are foolishness, and strange things to them; and oppose their sense of things, and strip them of what is valuable; and men are hereby distinguished from them, and taken from among them: and there is also a stir and an uproar made by it, among carnal professors of religion, as there was at this time among the Scribes and Pharisees; and all this bustle is made, for the sake of a single piece of money: and seek diligently till she find it? not only a light is set up, an hand of power put forth in using the besom, but a quick sharp eye looks out for the piece of silver: this diligent seeking and finding, are to be understood not of the grace of Christ in redemption; nor of his restoring backsliders; but of his converting sinners, through the preaching of the Gospel, both in his own person, and by his ministers, his Spirit making their ministrations effectual: the diligence, care, and circumspection of Christ, to find out lost sinners, while the Gospel is preaching, are here signified: it is not the preacher that looks out for them, though he that is a faithful minister of the word performs his office diligently and carefully, and he desires nothing more earnestly than the conversion of sinners; but then he knows not who are, and who are not the elect of God, and is ignorant of what Christ is doing, whilst he is preaching: Christ's eye is upon his lost piece; he perfectly knows the persons of the elect, as they are his Father's choice, and his gift to him; he knew them in the counsel of peace, and covenant of grace, in the fall of Adam, and their natural estate; he knows the places where they all are, and the time when they are to be converted; and distinguishes them amidst all the filth that attends them, and the crowd among which they are; and he continues seeking, till he finds them; which shows the perpetuity of the Gospel ministry the indefatigableness of Christ, and his sure and certain success: the reasons of all this care and diligence, are his love to them, his propriety in them, his Father's will, and his own engagement; and because they must be for ever lost, did he not seek after them.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
15:8 ten silver coins: These coins might have been part of the woman’s dowry. • light a lamp and sweep the entire house: Palestinian homes were poorly lit and normally had dirt or stone floors. Finding a small coin could be difficult.
Luke 15:8
The Parable of the Lost Coin
7In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent. 8Or what woman who has ten silver coins and loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep her house, and search carefully until she finds it?9And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors to say, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
God Wants You
By G.W. North1.6K1:26:40GodMAT 6:33LUK 13:34LUK 15:4LUK 15:8LUK 15:11In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of having multiple perspectives on the word of God. He highlights the value of having four Gospels written by different authors to bring different insights and perspectives. The speaker then focuses on the 14th and 15th chapters of Luke's Gospel, specifically the three-part parable of the prodigal son. He urges the audience to make a choice between worldly pleasures and eternal salvation, emphasizing the need to listen to God and surrender to Him. The sermon concludes with a reminder that God is always present and ready to forgive and restore those who have strayed.
Jesus Came to Save That Which Was Lost - Part 1
By Joshua Daniel73728:302CH 7:14PSA 121:2MAT 18:11LUK 8:30LUK 15:8LUK 15:10ACT 26:18EPH 2:81TI 1:5JAS 4:7
This sermon by Joshua Daniel emphasizes the importance of repentance, faith in Jesus, and the transformative power of God's grace. It addresses the prevalence of sin, dishonesty, and societal issues, urging individuals to seek forgiveness, restitution, and a genuine relationship with Christ. The message highlights the need for spiritual awakening, the dangers of spiritual warfare, and the necessity of relying on Jesus for deliverance and salvation.
Restored Glory, the Found Coin
By Erlo Stegen5551:07:46LUK 15:8
This sermon focuses on the parable of the woman with the lost coin from Luke 15:8-10, highlighting the value God places on each individual and the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. It emphasizes how Jesus seeks out sinners, offering them salvation and restoring their value in God's eyes. The importance of not losing the glory of God in our lives is discussed, with an invitation to come to Jesus for cleansing and restoration, bringing joy to heaven and glorifying God.
The Life of a Man Who Lost Something
By David Ravenhill27642:55LUK 15:8
This sermon focuses on the story of a man who lost his axe head and the process of restoration, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging where we have lost our spiritual cutting edge, confessing our sins, applying the cross to our situations, and reaching out in faith to receive restoration from God.
Epistle 56
By George Fox0ISA 7:14ISA 8:7LUK 15:8JHN 17:12ACT 7:52ROM 12:2EPH 2:2PHP 3:18COL 3:2COL 3:10JAS 3:17George Fox preaches about the importance of heeding the light of Christ within, which calls our minds away from worldly lusts and evil desires, and towards God for renewal and worship. Those who reject this light are enemies of Christ, influenced by the devil, and betrayers of the just. By focusing on the pure light of God, our minds are turned away from earthly affections and towards heavenly wisdom, leading to eternal life and peace.
Epistle 244
By George Fox0PRO 4:18PRO 20:27LUK 15:8ROM 8:61CO 14:33GAL 5:131TI 6:41JN 2:161JN 4:8JUD 1:7REV 21:27George Fox preaches about the importance of staying true to the pure power of the Lord God and His truth, emphasizing the need to cleanse our hearts from impurities and disobedience to enter into God's kingdom. He warns against allowing wrong understanding, liberty, and defilement to take root in our hearts, urging believers to join to the pure immortal power of God. Fox also cautions against strife, fornication, pride, and conceitedness, encouraging believers to keep their bodies and minds pure vessels for the mercies of God.
The Parables of Jesus
By Zac Poonen0MAT 7:24MAT 9:16MAT 13:24MAT 13:31MAT 13:33MAT 13:44MAT 13:47MAT 18:23MAT 20:1MAT 21:28MAT 21:33MAT 22:2MAT 24:45MAT 25:1MAT 25:14MAT 25:31MRK 4:3MRK 4:26LUK 6:39LUK 7:31LUK 7:41LUK 10:30LUK 11:5LUK 11:11LUK 12:16LUK 13:6LUK 14:7LUK 14:28LUK 14:31LUK 15:3LUK 15:8LUK 15:11LUK 16:1LUK 17:7LUK 18:1LUK 18:9LUK 19:12LUK 21:29Zac Poonen preaches on various aspects of entering God's Kingdom, emphasizing the importance of good soil for spiritual growth, the need to be properly clothed with Christ's righteousness, and the significance of building our lives on a solid foundation of obedience. He also delves into the concept of paying the price in following Christ, highlighting the effortless growth that comes from following the Spirit's laws and the necessity of valuing Jesus above all else. Poonen addresses the themes of loving God and man, the danger of legalism, the different types of backsliders, spiritual pride, watching and praying, and being faithful with God's gifts.
His Sun
By Horatius Bonar0Divine LoveGod's SovereigntyPSA 19:4PSA 148:3EZK 18:4MAT 5:45LUK 15:4LUK 15:8JHN 8:12REV 6:12REV 8:12REV 16:8Horatius Bonar emphasizes the divine ownership of creation, particularly focusing on the sun as God's property. He explains that God not only created the sun but also sustains it, allowing it to rise and shine for both the righteous and the wicked. The sun serves multiple purposes: it brings mercy, performs miracles, acts as a type of Christ, and signifies judgment. Bonar encourages believers to recognize the sun as a reflection of God's love and to respond by loving others as God loves. Ultimately, the sun is a reminder of God's presence and providence in our lives.
The Divine Shepherd Hears His Sheep
By Mary Wilder Tileston0PSA 40:1ISA 30:19LUK 15:4LUK 15:8JHN 10:11Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about the unwavering love and compassion of our Divine Shepherd, who tirelessly seeks after His lost sheep, even to the point of sacrificing His own life. Just as a shepherd listens for the cry of a stray sheep, our Shepherd listens for our cries and is always ready to answer and rescue us from our deepest pits of despair. Despite our fears and failures, when we lift up our helpless cries to Him, His tender love is always seeking us, ready to bring us back into His loving embrace.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
Ten pieces of silver - Δραχμας δεκα, ten drachmas. I think it always best to retain the names of these ancient coins, and to state their value in English money. Every reader will naturally wish to know by what names such and such coins were called in the countries in which they were current. The Grecian drachma was worth about sevenpence three farthings of our money; being about the same value as the Roman denarius. The drachma that was lost is also a very expressive emblem of a sinner who is estranged from God, and enslaved to habits of iniquity. The longer a piece of money is lost, the less probability is there of its being again found; as it may not only lose its color, and not be easily observed, but will continue to be more and more covered with dust and dirt: or its value may be vastly lessened by being so trampled on that a part of the substance, together with the image and superscription, may be worn off. So the sinner sinks deeper and deeper into the impurities of sin, loses even his character among men, and gets the image and superscription of his Maker defaced from his heart. He who wishes to find the image of God, which he has lost by sin, must attend to that word which will be a lantern to his steps, and receive that Spirit which is a light to the soul, to convince of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He must sweep the house - put away the evil of his doings; and seek diligently - use every means of grace, and cry incessantly to God, till he restore to him the light of his countenance. Though parables of this kind must not be obliged to go on all fours, as it is termed; yet they afford many useful hints to preachers of the Gospel, by which they may edify their hearers. Only let all such take care not to force meanings on the words of Christ which are contrary to their gravity and majesty.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
II. THE LOST COIN. (Luk 15:8-10) sweep the house--"not done without dust on man's part" [BENGEL].
John Gill Bible Commentary
Either what woman, having ten pieces of silver,.... Or "drachmas": a "drachma" was the fourth part of a shekel, and of the same value with a Roman penny; and was worth of our money, seven pence half penny; so that the ten pieces amounted to six shilling's, and three pence: the Ethiopic version renders it "ten rings": this parable is delivered, with the same view as the former; the scope and design of them are alike, being occasioned by the same circumstance, only the passiveness of a sinner in conversion is here more fully signified; who can contribute no more to the first act of conversion, which is purely God's work, than a lost piece of silver to its being found: by the "ten pieces or silver" are designed, all the Jews, or the whole body of that people; as they were before signified, by the hundred sheep; they having been God's peculiar treasure, though they were now in general become reprobate silver: and by the "woman" the proprietor of them, is meant Christ; and in what sense he was the owner of them, has been shown on Luk 15:4. The "nine" pieces design the Scribes and Pharisees; and the one lost piece, expressed in the next clause, if she lose one piece, intends the elect among the Jews, and who chiefly consisted of publicans and sinners; and the regard had to these, is signified by the following expressions, doth not light a candle: by which is meant, not the light of nature or reason in man: for though this is called a candle, and is of Christ's lighting, yet that by which he looks up his lost people, for this is become very dim: and though by it men may know there is a God, and the difference between moral good and evil, by it they cannot come at the knowledge of things spiritual; as of God in Christ, of the sin of nature, and of the plague of the heart; nor of the way of salvation by Christ, nor of the work of the Spirit, and the nature and need of it; nor of the Scriptures of truth, and of the doctrines of the Gospel, nor of the things of another world: neither is the law of Moses intended; for though there was light by it into the knowledge of sin, yet not clear; and though the ceremonial law was a shadow of Christ, and did give some instructions about him, and the doctrines of the Gospel, and blessings of grace, yet but very obscure hints: but by this candle is meant, the Gospel itself; which, like a candle, is lighted up in the evening of the world; and may be removed, as it sometimes is, from place to place; and where it is set, and blessed, it gives light, and is useful both to work and walk by; it does not always burn alike clear, or is always held forth in the same purity: and it will give the greatest light at last, as a candle does, even at the end of the world: now Christ is the lighter of this, and from him it has all its light, who is the maker of it; he keeps it light, and by it he looks up and finds out his elect ones; though this is not a direction to him, who perfectly knows who they are, and where they be, but is rather a light to them, that they may know and find him: and sweep the house: which phrase sometimes designs outward reformation, as in Mat 12:44 and sometimes God's judgments upon a people, as in Isa 14:23 but here the preaching of the Gospel, and the power that goes along with it, to the the effectual calling of the elect: the "house" in which Christ's lost piece of silver, or his chosen ones were, may design the nation of the Jews, who are often called the house of Israel; this was a house of God's building and choosing, and where he dwelt; and among these people for a long time, God's elect lay, though all of them were not so; and about this time the Lord was about to break up house keeping with them; yet as there were some few among them, that were to be looked up and called, therefore this house must be swept, as it was by the ministry of John the Baptist, by Christ himself, and by his apostles: and this suggests, what must be the state and condition of God's elect, being in this house, before it was swept, and they found out; they were out of sight, in great obscurity and darkness, with a deal of rubbish and dirt upon them, and pollution in them; and impotent to that which is good, and to their own recovery, and yet capable of being recovered: and this phrase hints at the power and efficacy of divine grace, that goes along with the word, in looking up and finding lost sinners; in enlightening their dark minds, quickening them, being dead in sin, taking away their stony hearts, regenerating them, enstamping the divine image upon them, removing every thing from them they trusted in, and working faith in them, to look to, and believe in Christ: and as in sweeping of an house, a great stir is made, a dust raised, and things are moved out of their place; so by the preaching of the Gospel, an uproar is made in the sinner himself; in his conscience, which is filled with a horrible sight of sin; which is very loathsome, and causes uneasy reflections, fills with shame and confusion, and greatly burdens and distresses, and with the terrors of the law, and with dreadful apprehensions of hell and damnation; in his will there is a reluctancy to part with sinful lusts and pleasures, with sinful companions, and with his own righteousness, and to be saved by Christ alone, and to serve him, and bear his cross: and in his understanding, things appear in a different light than they before did: and great stir and opposition is made by Satan, to hinder the preaching of the Gospel, as much as in him lies, and persons from coming to hear it; and if they do, he endeavours to hinder, by catching it from them, or diverting them from that; by insinuating, it is either too soon or too late, to mind religion; or that sin is either so great that it cannot be forgiven, or so trivial, that a few prayers, tears, alms deeds, &c. will make amends for it; by distressing them about their election, or about the willingness of Christ to save them; or by stirring up others to dissuade and discourage them. Moreover, when the Gospel is preached in purity and with power, and souls are converted, there is a great stir and uproar in the world, and among the men of it; because the doctrines of it are foolishness, and strange things to them; and oppose their sense of things, and strip them of what is valuable; and men are hereby distinguished from them, and taken from among them: and there is also a stir and an uproar made by it, among carnal professors of religion, as there was at this time among the Scribes and Pharisees; and all this bustle is made, for the sake of a single piece of money: and seek diligently till she find it? not only a light is set up, an hand of power put forth in using the besom, but a quick sharp eye looks out for the piece of silver: this diligent seeking and finding, are to be understood not of the grace of Christ in redemption; nor of his restoring backsliders; but of his converting sinners, through the preaching of the Gospel, both in his own person, and by his ministers, his Spirit making their ministrations effectual: the diligence, care, and circumspection of Christ, to find out lost sinners, while the Gospel is preaching, are here signified: it is not the preacher that looks out for them, though he that is a faithful minister of the word performs his office diligently and carefully, and he desires nothing more earnestly than the conversion of sinners; but then he knows not who are, and who are not the elect of God, and is ignorant of what Christ is doing, whilst he is preaching: Christ's eye is upon his lost piece; he perfectly knows the persons of the elect, as they are his Father's choice, and his gift to him; he knew them in the counsel of peace, and covenant of grace, in the fall of Adam, and their natural estate; he knows the places where they all are, and the time when they are to be converted; and distinguishes them amidst all the filth that attends them, and the crowd among which they are; and he continues seeking, till he finds them; which shows the perpetuity of the Gospel ministry the indefatigableness of Christ, and his sure and certain success: the reasons of all this care and diligence, are his love to them, his propriety in them, his Father's will, and his own engagement; and because they must be for ever lost, did he not seek after them.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
15:8 ten silver coins: These coins might have been part of the woman’s dowry. • light a lamp and sweep the entire house: Palestinian homes were poorly lit and normally had dirt or stone floors. Finding a small coin could be difficult.