Ashley Garner knew it was too late. She had lost her wedding ring in the yard as her family was putting the final touches on the outside preparations for Hurricane Ian that was barreling down on their Ft. Myers home. They looked and looked, but pretty soon it was time to go inside and hunker down, no ring was going to be worth the loss of life.
The wind blew and blew, thankfully leaving Ashley and her family safe. When they ventured out, they started to clean up the piles of brush that were left in the yard from the storm. As they did, her husband noticed the glimmering of something in the brush pile – a diamond ring. What was lost had been found. It was like Luke 15 had just been reenacted in their yard. Now they just needed to find a lost sheep and a lost son.
Similarly, the parable of the lost coin in Luke 15 might have had a marital connection. It was thought that a husband would have given his wife 10 silver pieces as a sort of insurance policy if he were to die. She would have worn these silver pieces as a part of her marital veil, a sign of his promise, and a sign of her fidelity and trustworthiness in keeping the coins. To lose one would have been a loss not only of the monetary value of the coin, but the symbolic value as well. It would have been like losing a wedding ring.
Jesus tells the parable to remind us how God and all the angels rejoice at the repentance, the finding, of one lost sinner. As you think of the relief and joy that came across Ashley when her husband found that ring, imagine the joy that erupts in heaven when you repent and are found and forgiven.