Tag Archives: lost

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Ten Pieces Of Silver

[The Bible is an “Eastern” book.  It was written many years ago in the “East” which today we refer to as “The Middle East.”  As such, there are many customs and idioms that are not familiar to the “Western” mind.]

Often there are things in the Scriptures that don’t seem to make sense to our Western minds. The reason is that we don’t understand the Eastern culture.  This is why so many have misunderstood the record of the “ten pieces of silver.”

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus talked about a woman who had ten pieces of silver and lost one.  She then looked every where, diligently, until she found it.  And then she did something remarkable.

She called all her friends and neighbors together so they could all celebrate with her because she found the lost piece of silver.  Honestly, if my wife lost a quarter, and searched all over the house, and then after finding it, called every over for a big party, I’d be wondering what in the world was going on.

Why Did She Search So Diligently?

In the Eastern culture the ten pieces of silver was a gift from her husband.  It was not expensive, but, it carried a very deep sentimental value. It was not the only gift given to her by her husband, but it was certainly the most precious.

Some say that each piece was about the size of a quarter.  In most cases, each coin would have the coat of arms of the husband’s family on one side.  Usually the year the coin was made was on the other side.

On very special occasions the woman would hang these in her hair.  Because it had such sentimental value, the woman was very careful when wearing the ten pieces of silver.  The consequences of losing one were very harsh.

The Consequences Of Losing One Piece

None of the ten pieces could be replaced.  If the wife were to lose one, her husband would banish her from the house until she found it.  They believed that if you lost even one piece of the ten, then you would have lost God’s blessings as well.

By the way, if the husband died before his wife, the ten pieces of silver were to be returned to her husband’s family so that they could be given to another bride.  She could keep all the other jewelry, but the ten pieces of silver went back to his family.

The Point Of The Parable

In the Gospel of Luke, after telling this parable of the woman losing and then rejoicing over the found piece of silver, Jesus makes a fantastic point. Understanding the deep significance of the ten pieces of silver, his point is so very clear.

Just like a woman rejoicing over finding one of her lost pieces of silver, there is great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.  That means that God has put a very high value on each and every person.  And when even one person accepts Christ, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God.

Luke 15:8-10:
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?

And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours 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.

It reminds me of the line from the song, Amazing Grace:  “I once was lost, but now am found.”  And, since we have been “found,” we have been saved from the consequences of sin by the completed work of Jesus Christ.

This parable is the second of three back to back parables in the Gospel of Luke.  Take some time to read all three.

Does this help to give you more understanding of just how important and valuable you are to God?   Feel free to leave a comment below.

For more “Eastern Eye” articles, click here, or click the Eastern Eye tab above.

Mike Verdicchio

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There are a number of books that you can read to get insight on customs, manners, idioms and meanings from the eastern culture in which the Bible was written.  The best I know of were written by by Bishop K. C. Pillai.  I have had the pleasure of listening to recorded teaching by him.

He wrote three books, and they are hard to find, and are usually over priced.  But, if you want to you can check this link to see what Amazon has to offer. Light Through an Eastern Window

Another great resource that I have used for years is a book called, “Manners and Customs of the Bible,” by James Freeman. Mine was printed in 1972 and I know they have newer additions. For the newest edition, just click the link and it will take you to Amazon. The New Manners and Customs of the Bible (Pure Gold Classics)

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Are You Lost?

Some people think they are lost.  I’ve even had people tell me, “I’m so far gone that God would never take me back. I’m just lost.”  Well, let me tell you a story.

My wife has a real long suit in trusting God to help her find things.  She is not usually someone who misplaces things.  But, when things go missing, she is almost always the one who ends up finding them.

She found the timers we use for our holiday lights several weeks ago. I looked all over the house, and I even looked in the closet of my office three times!  That’s exactly where she found them.  But, that’s nothing compared to the little diamond she found.

A Lost Diamond!

A couple of years ago, for our 35th wedding anniversary, I got Kathy a new diamond ring to replace the one she has been wearing since 1971.  The diamond in the ring from 1971 was so small I do not know how they could have even called it a diamond.

But I got her a new one, and it certainly wasn’t extravagant.  It has three diamonds in it, and I think they are pretty tiny.  And if you were to lose one, well who in the world could ever find it?  Kathy could, and she did.  Twice!

We have a metal shed in the back yard that we use for storage.  Kathy had been cleaning it out and noticed the next day that she was missing one of her tiny little diamonds.  She looked everywhere, including in the yard where she had been working.

She looked in the grass hoping to maybe see a glimmer of light.  She looked in and around the three cardboard boxes that were still out there near the shed.  No diamond.

Then, almost two days later, she walked over toward the shed again, and looked. On one of the open flaps of one of the boxes, there it was!  She had found her diamond.

We were so grateful.  She told the people at the jewelry store where we purchased it that there must be something loose.  We had hoped that when they put that little diamond back in the setting that they would have fixed the problem.  After all, they had the ring in the repair shop for two and a half weeks.

No, Not A Second Time!

But scarcely a week went by with the repaired ring on her finger and, no!  It couldn’t be.  The same stone was again missing.   Now I told you Kathy is great at finding things.  But could she find her tiny diamond again, the second time?

About six hours after she noticed it missing, and having looked everywhere, she had a feeling it was in the kitchen.  But how could you possibly even see it if it were in the kitchen?

Nonetheless, she looked around the kitchen here and there, but no diamond.  She checked out the counters, no diamond.  In the sink, perhaps?  No, no diamond.  But wait!  What’s was that tiny sparkling little shining on the tile floor?  Well what do you know?  She had found it again, for the second time in less than three months.

Now here’s my point.  If my wife Kathy, who is so wonderful, but only human, can find a little lost diamond, twice, could a person ever be so lost that God could never find them again?

The truth of the matter is that God is waiting for us to come back to Him.  Read about it in the parable in the Gospel of Luke, often mistakenly referred to as, the parable of “The Prodigal Son.”  It really ought to be called the parable of “The Forgiving Father.”

People feel lost because of their own actions.  They condemn themselves for what they have done.  They end up feeling so badly about what they have done that they feel too ashamed to even approach God.

But, from God’s point of view they are not lost; they have just chosen to distance themselves.  The open and forgiving arms of our loving Father are never far away.  His love does not waver.  No one is ever lost to Him.