Luke 15:1-10
The Lost Sheep and Coin
1Now all the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around to listen to Jesus.
2So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3Then Jesus told them this parable:
4“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders,
6comes home, and calls together his friends and neighbors to tell them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’
7I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent.
8Or what woman who has ten silver coins and loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep her house, and search carefully until she finds it?
9And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors to say, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’
10In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
Berean Standard Bible
Tax collectors and sinners draw near to Jesus to hear Him. The Pharisees and scribes grumble that He welcomes sinners and eats with them. Jesus answers their complaint with two stories.
If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and loses one, he leaves the ninety-nine in the open country and goes after the lost one until he finds it. When he finds it, he carries it home on his shoulders and calls friends and neighbors to rejoice.
Jesus says there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. Whether that last phrase describes real righteousness or self-confidence, the point is that repentance brings joy.
He tells of a woman with ten silver coins who loses one. She lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches carefully until she finds it. Then she calls her friends and neighbors to rejoice. Heaven rejoices in the same way over one sinner who repents.
How We Know
The evidence here is cumulative rather than dependent on one isolated line. The teaching or encounter in Luke 15:1-10 sits within Luke's travel narrative toward Jerusalem. Parallel sayings in Matthew and the links to Israel's Scriptures help locate the material in Jesus' public ministry, while Luke's arrangement preserves the particular challenge and mercy of this unit.
Questions
1 Why does Jesus tell these parables?
AnswerHe tells them because religious leaders complain that He welcomes sinners and eats with them.
2 What does the shepherd do after losing one sheep?
AnswerHe leaves the ninety-nine in the open country, searches until he finds the lost sheep, and carries it home rejoicing.
3 How does the woman search for her coin?
AnswerShe lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches carefully until she finds the lost coin.
4 What causes joy in heaven?
AnswerOne sinner's repentance causes joy. God does not treat a returning person as disposable or beneath notice.
What This Means for Us
Jesus' welcome does not make sin unimportant; both parables celebrate repentance. They do challenge the idea that respectable people should resent God's attention to those who have wandered.
Families can become like the searching shepherd and woman by noticing who is missing, taking patient steps toward restoration, and celebrating genuine change without keeping a permanent record of someone's past.
Prayer
God who seeks the lost, thank You for pursuing sinners with mercy. Make our household attentive to people who are missing, joyful over repentance, and humble enough to admit when we too need to be found. Amen.