The thirty-two verses in chapter 15 of Luke comprise a trio of parables, the contrast/comparison of which present a beautiful yet compelling picture of the gospel. They may be outlined as such: The Lost Sheep, the Lost Silver, the Lost Son. For this article our attention is drawn to The Lost Silver. (For a view of the other two, read “The Ninety and Nine,” and “Looking Again at the Prodigal.”) In order to grasp the sense of this particular passage, we shall briefly review that which has already been established in the other articles.

In verses one and two we find publicans and sinners drawing near for to hear Him: the Pharisees and scribes are there murmuring against Him; the charge - this man receiveth sinners! Their accusation is answered by our Lord through the parables of the lost sheep, the lost silver, and the lost son. Of course, He uses the temporal to illustrate the spiritual. He begins, what man of you. . . that is, what would you do. . .? All three parables speak heavily of ownership: the shepherd who had lost his sheep, the woman who lost her silver, the father who had lost his son. All three end with rejoicing, whereby Jesus reveals the spiritual aspect: a repentant sinner having been found is brought home, restored, reconciled. We have shown in the other two articles that the “ninety and nine” and the “elder son” depict the self-righteous Pharisee to whom the parables were intently directed. There is no reason to think differently of the “nine pieces of silver.” If the continuity of the scriptures be preserved then the “nine pieces” must represent the scribes and Pharisees and how they regarded themselves in the sight of God. The satire used by the Savior in the first parable well illustrates: “joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine “just” persons, which need no repentance.” In the parable of the lost son, the language of the “elder brother” reveals his self-proclaimed righteousness: “And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment. . .” vs. 29. The matter is brought to its conclusion in chapter 16, where our Lord ends the parables and very plainly and bluntly declares to those self-righteous religionists; “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Christ, by means of satire, portrays the scribes and Pharisees in the parables as they see themselves, not as he sees them and not as they really are. They see the sinner as being lost, and therefore of no value to his Creator. But they are not and have never been lost. As they have kept the Law, then are they prize treasures in the coffers of the Lord Jehovah! (And we’re being sarcastic!)

“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” Luke 15:8.

The sheep was lost in the wilderness; the son lost in a far country; but the silver was lost in the house. Apparently the inside of the house was basically in darkness, as she lit a candle. She used a broom to sweep the house. (Of course a woman was employed in this parable -- can you imagine a man in that environment with a broom in his hands, sweeping the house!?!) And then, the woman was better suited for such a portrayal, in that she would passionately mourn her loss and then express the greater joy in its recovery.

The sweeping. It was not as commonly pictured. She did not take the broom in both hands and vigorously plow through the dirt of the floor. Precious to her is that piece of silver that is lost. With candle in one hand and broom in the other, she will slowly and meticulously move the dirt about. With great attentiveness and singleness of eye will she examine every square inch of the house. “And seek diligently till she find it.” Her heart was fixed: the silver will be found.

Why should she search with such diligence? She sought “diligently till she found it.” Why should she count a coin of no apparent significance as such an esteemed treasure? Does she not have the nine? How great the lose, if the one is not recovered? In comparison we are given likewise the diligent search of our Lord. And why should the Savior find us a treasure worth finding? “What is man that thou art mindful of him?” Psalm 8:4. If he should be unable to find the one that was lost - he would be no loser.

A chest of Spanish gold coin lies buried somewhere under the sand and the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Because it is lost it is of no value to anyone. If only someone knew where it was; could find it, recover it; bring it forth from the oceanic graveyard: then might it be worth a king’s ransom! What value may be placed upon the sinner; lost, lifeless, buried in the dust, in utter darkness. . .? But let him be found. . .!!!

And for what purpose, may we ask, did the woman have that silver coin put to one side? She must have had it separate from the nine, else none would be lost or all would be missing. Why will she be so relentless in her search? The scripture does not reveal it. For the answer we must search for the spiritual parallel and then lay temporal and spiritual along side.

For what purpose would the Spirit of Christ sanctify the lost sinner unto the Lord? May we venture to say, it is because we are a gift from his Father. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. . .And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing” John 6:37,39. And He shall seek diligently till He find it! It will not remain lost!

We are a gift from the Father to the Son? What gives the Father the right or authority to bequeath us lost sinners as a gift to His Son? He has every right -- He’s Creator, He’s Sovereign, and He’s Owner!

        The question was asked of our Lord by the disciples of the Pharisees: “what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not.” To which he replied, “Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” Matt. 21:17,19-21.

The soul is silver, of intrinsic worth and value. . .the Hebrew word for silver is taken from the desirableness of it. It is silver coin, for so the drachma was; it is stamped with God’s image and superscription, and therefore must be rendered to him.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary, vol. 5, page 740.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. . .So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;” Gen. 1:26a,27. Not only was man the creation of God, but was His in that he bore the image and superscription of the Almighty! As the silver coin, he was minted in God’s foundry!

So - what may we conclude that the woman would do with that lost piece of silver, once found? Why, as Matthew Henry told us; it is stamped with God’s image and superscription, and therefore must be rendered to Him!

The silver drops into the dust and is lost.

But Adam, as the silver coin, plummeted from the high place that his Creator had placed him. Hard was the drop, into the dust from which he had been created and brought forth; so hard that he was buried beneath in darkness being far removed from the Light. “Ye shall not surely die,” Satan had said. Adam thought he had it made: he had a secure relationship with God. Adam, you made a fatal mistake - never, ever take God for granted. So he was lost -- and from all appearances did not desire to be found! He thought to hide himself behind his apron of fig leaves and among the trees of the Garden. And such is man today: “and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” John 3:19,20.

Yes, but that’s not the end. Consider verse 10 of the parable: “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Too often is the doctrine of repentance softened, side-stepped, or even ignored. Too often are we prone to hear, Men are “unchurched” and need to “accept Christ.” But why the necessity of repentance?

Adam was originally subject to a “covenant of works:” the works of his hands were indeed “acceptable unto God,” his “reasonable service.” His reply to the “reasoning” of Satan should have been as that spoken by our Lord: “I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father. . .” But Adam followed his own will; he disobeyed his God. Further, he was a thief of the worse magnitude; he was guilty of stealing that which was precious to his Owner and Creator: the stolen property was himself. And what was the charge that God had laid before him? “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Dare we say that God killed Adam? Adam was responsible; he may as well have eaten a deadly poison: he committed spiritual suicide. The Voice of the Lord God would come walking in the garden in the cool of the day. “Adam, where art thou?” Adam’s lost. But Grace will find him!

n the parable of the lost sheep, God the Son, the Shepherd is pictured. In the parable of the lost son, it is God the Father. But in the portrayal of the lost silver we must look closely, for we are to discover the quiet, unassuming work of God the Spirit.

As does the woman, He comes with great care - He is in the house; the darkened heart of man. He lights the candle; that Light that dispels the darkness: the Light of the Eternal Word shines forth. It is not that He needs to see in order to find the lost silver: the coin or darkened heart must needs be exposed to the Light.

The woman finds [the broom uncovers, the light reveals] the lost silver. She reaches down into the dust and the darkness and draws up the new-found coin to herself. She carefully wipes it clean. The candle is held closely to the coin and its light reveals the image of royalty - may we not say that it bears the image of the king? I love the song, “I was lost and undone, without God or His Son; when He reached down His hand for me!” The Holy Spirit reaches down; draws the sinner upward, the Light of the Son shines upon him. What makes that piece of silver worth finding? It bears the image and superscription of the Creator, the Eternal God, the King of kings! If we could only look in the mirror of grace. We bear in our being the very image of the Triune God. If only we could see it; how it would cause us to yearn to live a holy life!

The coin is an inanimate object; but the parable is about “one sinner that repenteth.” In view of that may we consider the private operation of the Holy Spirit in the New Birth. In natural birth there was, and still is in many cultures, the service of the midwife. A common practice: the child is brought forth. It is immediately “spanked” to clear its passage way so it can breathe! (No, it’s not done in anger; there is no child-abuse!) Along with the first breath comes the crying. The new-born is washed clean; anointed with oil, wrapped and placed into the waiting arms of its mother. In comparison, may we envision the Holy Spirit as the midwife. We are born of God, of Christ. We are brought forth by the Spirit. In Adam’s “birth” or creation, He “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” The New Birth is no exception. The new-born likewise has the breath of life breathed into him. He is brought forth into the Light and with the first breath comes the cry: Lord, save me! (Though with the cry is the evidence that the Spirit has already wrought the work of salvation in the heart; the sinner has repented, turned, and in response is “calling upon the name of the Lord.”)

The new born having been given the breath of life, is washed clean, is anointed with oil, clothed in the righteousness of Christ. . .and then laid with love into the caring arms of the One who gave him life - the Lord Jesus!

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, and out the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings” Psalm 40:2.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” I Peter 2:9.

May we conclude the article with this thought. With the New Birth we have been given the breath of life; yet it seems that the things of the world and the cares of this life are inclined to stifle us. We may become as it were, in a state of comatose, exhausted, suffocating. Sadly, we may not realize that we are unable to breath on our own. We need to be revived. Oh God! How we need the Holy Spirit to resuscitate us; to place His hands upon our mouth, to press His mouth upon ours and blow His Eternal Breath into our lungs! Oh Lord, revive us; breath afresh into our nostrils the breath of life lest we perish!

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