9 April | Youth
«Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!» Luke 15:9
The feeling of being lost is one of the worst feelings there is. Even more dramatic is when the person does not recognize such a condition. That is what happened to councilman Otávio Rocha, who was lost for about a month in the city of Bauru, Brazil, sleeping under the awning of an old railway station. During the period, Otávio survived thanks to donations made by local residents.
He was rescued when the owner of a bar took Otávio’s cell phone and charged it. When the device started working again, it did not stop ringing. Intrigued, the bar owner returned one of the calls and reported that Otávio was fine. Quickly, some relatives heard the news and went to look for him.
Recovering from the trauma, Otávio remembered that he had left home and, in Bauru, had been robbed outside a bingo hall, after having won a certain amount of money. The thieves hit his head, leaving him unconscious. But, thanks to the help of the bar’s employees, Otávio managed to return home.
The parable of the lost coin illustrates the condition of the sinner who is lost but is unaware of this reality (Luke 15:8-10). Unlike the lost sheep and the prodigal son, who knew they were lost, the coin does not recognize its situation. It desperately needs external action, someone to initiate a rescue process.
Furthermore, the parable says that the coin was lost inside the house. This detail indicates that there are people lost in “the Father’s house.” One day, they were inside the Lord’s “wallet,” but, for some reason, they rolled to some corner of the house. In a sense, they are people who are still nearby, just a few steps away, but unfortunately, they are cold, “dusty” and inactive.
The most beautiful part of the story is that the Lord himself – represented in the parable by a diligent woman – lights a lamp, sweeps the house and calms down only when she finds the lost coin. This little coin is so valuable to God that He is able to spend all His time and effort in order to find it.
Do you consider yourself this lost coin? Know that Jesus is diligently seeking you. He wants to find you right now. When this happens, there will be great joy in Heaven.