This worksheet is designed to go with our short video series exploring the Parables. You can find the videos here.
You can download the workseet here.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
Luke 15:8-10
Jesus seemed to confuse a lot of people! In this part of the Bible the teachers of religious law are wondering why Jesus prefers to spend time with the kind of people they see as lost and unimportant.
People who had done things wrong, like tax colelctors who often stole money, or woman who didn’t have a good reputation. People who weren’t rich and influential.
Jesus knows what they’re thinking though, and so he uses a few short parables – stories with a deeper meaning – to explain how God sees the people that the religious leaders looked down on.
One of those stories is about a woman who looses a coin. She has nine others, but she turns the house upside down, sweeping in every corner, searching for this one lost coin. When she finds it she calls in her freinds and neighbours to celebrate!
Jesus wants to make a point here, he’s telling the religious leaders that God cares about those who are lost, who have done things wrong, who aren’t seen as valuable or imporatnt. He’s saying that all of Heaven celebrates when someone is found by God.
Isn’t that incredible? It’s both a comfort and a challenge.
When we feel lost and worthless Jesus reminds us that God doesn’t see us that way. That he would search without stopping until we are found again. How wonderful it is to know that God delights over you and me the same way that woman in the story celebrated finding her lost coin!
And when we’re tempted to look down on others, Jesus challenges us to think again. How could we not value others when God says they’re important and worth so much to him?
Whichever way we feel, this small parable is a good reminder that we have so much to be thankful towards God for. As you do the puzzles on the worksheet why not spend some time thinking about how much God values you. Perhaps you could think of someone who God might be challenging you to value more.