Parable of the woman who found her lost drachma

 

Parable of the woman who found her lost drachma

 

Luke 15:8-10 『Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, does she not light a candle, and sweep the house, and 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 which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.』

This is the second of Jesus' parables. The first parable is about a shepherd losing one of his hundred sheep, and the shepherd goes out to find that one sheep. It is not that the sheep has lost its way, but that it has lost its shepherd. So, the story is about a shepherd leaving ninety-nine in the field and going in search of one. This indicates that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, abandoned his throne in heaven and came to this earth.

And, the second parable is a story about a woman looking for a lost coin. This is the story of the Holy Spirit coming to the church and the woman, the church, finding lost (dead) coins through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. In the second parable, we can do nothing because the spirit is dead. It is possible to save the spirit only through the work of the Holy Spirit. The last verses of both parables are the same: “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Losing the shepherd is the beginning of sin. According to circumstances like these, our condition comes to the second parable.

The human spirit is dead in the dark. What we need is light (resurrection). So the Lord established the church, which was purchased and established by the Lord with the price of His blood. The church is not a church building, but a temple in the hearts of believers. 『On this rock I will build a church.』 When Jesus builds a church, it means 'dry bones attaching themselves, skin attaching to them, tendons attaching to them, and breath of life into them.' This means the resurrection of the saints. This is it. It happened on Pentecost.

God breathes life into the dead, so the dead come back to life spiritually, and the revived spirit takes on a “spirit body.” That is why the saints become the temple and the church. In John 5:25, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that shall hear live.”

All people are dead in spirit due to sin and transgression, but the dead spirit does not come back to life because “God shows love.” In order for the spirit dead in sin to come back to life, the righteousness of God (death and resurrection on the cross) is necessary. So, Noah preached righteousness. In 1 Peter 2:5, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Noah was a spreader of righteousness.

Our goal is to become righteous (resurrection). Only by becoming a righteous person can one become perfect. Only then can God walk with us. First, believers seek one kingdom and righteousness. In Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

God's righteousness (death and resurrection on the cross) is revealed, and God's wrath is revealed to those who block injustice. Today, those who block the truth through unrighteousness consider themselves “righteous.” So, two things are clashing within the church.

When God tries to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He searches for the righteous. He told Abraham that if there were even ten righteous people, God would not destroy them. Being righteous is important. Righteousness comes before love. Love without righteousness is of no use. All the words of the prophets seek justice first. Next, compassion and love follow. Many churches today talk about God's love first. If a believer does not have righteousness, he cannot meet God. Why does reconciliation with God occur when a believer repents? Because God is righteous. In Hebrews, Noah is called “the heir of righteousness.” In other words, he was saved because he was righteous. Because he was righteous, God allowed Noah to build an ark and save his life.

The parable of the prodigal son emphasizes the father’s love. The parable of the prodigal son means that both of his sons are corrupt. Salvation is impossible for both. This is what a human being looks like. Both those who appear good and those who are unrighteous are corrupt. The prodigal son abandons his loving father. While he is loved by his father, he abandons his father. Jesus said, “The hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voice of God.” Those who repent hear the voice of the shepherd. When one hears a voice, the spiritually dead come back to life (resurrection).

This means that the woman lights a lamp to look for and find the lost coin. People say that through these words, people cannot repent. They say that only with the help of the Holy Spirit can one repent. This is only half true. “Hearing the voice of the shepherd and turning back (repentance: dying on the cross)” is the believer’s job. Then, God resurrects the believer.