Luke 15:8

King James Version (KJV)

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?

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.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

Verses 8-10

Ten pieces of silver - In the original, ten “drachmas.” The drachma was about the value of fifteen cents, and consequently the whole sum was about a dollar and a half, or six shillings. The sum was small, but it was all she had. The loss of one piece, therefore, was severely felt.

There is joy in the presence … - Jesus in this parable expresses the same sentiment which he did in the preceding. A woman would have more immediate, present, joy at finding a lost piece, than she would in the possession of those which had not been lost. “So,” says Christ, there is joy among the angels at the recovery of a single sinner.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, and exposed to certain ruin if not brought back to him, yet not desirous to return. Christ is earnest in bringing sinners home. In the parable of the lost piece of silver, that which is lost, is one piece, of small value compared with the rest. Yet the woman seeks diligently till she finds it. This represents the various means and methods God makes use of to bring lost souls home to himself, and the Saviour's joy on their return to him. How careful then should we be that our repentance is unto salvation!

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

8. Either what woman. [The Lost Coin, Luke 15:8-10. Cf. Matt. 13:44-46. On parables see pp. 203-207.] For circumstances that prompted this parable and for its relationship to the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Son see on vs. 3, 4. As the former parable was apparently addressed to men in the audience, this was perhaps directed particularly to the women who listened. Jesus often used illustrations that appealed to women in particular (cf. Matt. 13:33; Luke 17:35).

In the case of the lost sheep, the owner was moved both by pity for the sheep and by his own financial interest in the sheep. Here, the element of pity is lacking. The woman had only her own carelessness to blame for the loss of the coin, and her desire to reclaim it was based exclusively on her personal interest in it. The sheep was to blame, in a sense, for straying; the coin could not be blamed for losing itself. This parable emphasizes the intrinsic value of a soul, and the fact that a lost sinner is of so much value in the sight of God that He will “seek diligently” in order to reclaim it.

Pieces of silver. Gr. drachmai. In the time of Christ the Greek drachmÃ„â€œ was .1145 oz. troy, or 3.56 g. of silver, and thus was approximately equivalent in value to the Roman denarius (see p. 49), which was a typical wage for a farm laborer (see on Matt. 20:2).

The number ten is of no particular significance; it appears often as a round number (1 Sam. 1:8; Eccl. 7:19; Isa. 5:10; Amos 6:9; etc.). Jesus employed it in various parables (see Matt. 25:1, 28; Luke 19:13, 16, 17). The ten coins may have been part of the woman’s dowry, and thus constituted her savings. Perhaps she had moved them as she cleaned the house, or had been looking at them.

Lose one piece. It was her carelessness that resulted in the loss. The coin did not know that it was lost. Furthermore, it was lost at home, not out in the mountains, like the sheep, nor in a “far country,” like the lost son.

A candle. Better, “a lamp.” The usual Oriental home often consisted of but one room and had no natural light except that admitted through the door or through small latticed windows. For the purpose of finding such an object, the housewife would almost certainly need an artificial source of light even in the daytime.

Sweep the house. Even today most Oriental houses, particularly in the country districts and in the villages, have only dirt floors. On such a “floor” and in a dark room it would be very easy to lose a coin and difficult to find it again. Diligent search would probably be necessary before the woman could expect to find it.

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Ellen G. White
In Heavenly Places, 323.2

The parables of the Lost Piece of Silver and the Lost Sheep teach most precious lessons. They deal with the subject of man lost and man recovered. Many, many more would be recovered if they were labored for as represented in these parables.... HP 323.2

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Ellen G. White
Christ's Object Lessons, 192-7

O the lack of deep, soul-touching sympathy for the tempted and the erring! O for more of Christ's spirit, and for less, far less, of self! COL 192.1

The Pharisees understood Christ's parable as a rebuke to them. Instead of accepting their criticism of His work, He had reproved their neglect of the publicans and sinners. He had not done this openly, lest it should close their hearts against Him; but His illustration set before them the very work which God required of them, and which they had failed to do. Had they been true shepherds, these leaders in Israel would have done the work of a shepherd. They would have manifested the mercy and love of Christ, and would have united with Him in His mission. Their refusal to do this had proved their claims of piety to be false. Now many rejected Christ's reproof; yet to some His words brought conviction. Upon these, after Christ's ascension to heaven, the Holy Spirit came, and they united with His disciples in the very work outlined in the parable of the lost sheep. COL 192.2

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Ellen G. White
The Desire of Ages, 495

Full of instruction were the lessons which Christ taught as He slowly made His way from Galilee toward Jerusalem. Eagerly the people listened to His words. In Perea as in Galilee the people were less under the control of Jewish bigotry than in Judea, and His teaching found a response in their hearts. DA 495.1

During these last months of His ministry, many of Christ's parables were spoken. The priests and rabbis pursued Him with ever-increasing bitterness, and His warnings to them He veiled in symbols. They could not mistake His meaning, yet they could find in His words nothing on which to ground an accusation against Him. In the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, the self-sufficient prayer, “God, I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men,” stood out in sharp contrast to the penitent's plea, “Be merciful to me the sinner.” Luke 18:11, 13, R. V., margin. Thus Christ rebuked the hypocrisy of the Jews. And under the figures of the barren fig tree and the great supper He foretold the doom about to fall upon the impenitent nation. Those who had scornfully rejected the invitation to the gospel feast heard His warning words: “I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of My supper.” Luke 14:24. DA 495.2

Very precious was the instruction given to the disciples. The parable of the importunate widow and the friend asking for bread at midnight gave new force to His words, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Luke 11:9. And often their wavering faith was strengthened by the memory that Christ had said, “Shall not God do justice for His elect, which cry to Him day and night, and He is long-suffering over them? I say unto you, that He will do them justice speedily.” Luke 18:7, 8, R. V., margin. DA 495.3

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Ellen G. White
Education, 102

“Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee.”

The Great Teacher brought His hearers in contact with nature, that they might listen to the voice which speaks in all created things; and as their hearts became tender and their minds receptive, He helped them to interpret the spiritual teaching of the scenes upon which their eyes rested. The parables, by means of which He loved to teach lessons of truth, show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature and how He delighted to gather the spiritual teaching from the surroundings of daily life. Ed 102.1

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Jesus' Ministry in Galilee and Journey to Jerusalem

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