Jesus' repetition of the same point in another similar parable shows the importance of the lesson He wanted His hearers to learn.
Again Jesus' concern for women comes out in this illustration with which His female listeners could identify. The silver coins in view would have been Greek drachmas, the equivalent of Roman denarii, each worth about a day's wage. They may have been part of the dowery or the savings that some Palestinian women wore around their heads on a chain.350In any case the coin she lost was precious to her even though it did not represent great wealth. Its value is clear from the trouble she went to to find it. Peasants' houses in Palestine normally had no windows, so she needed to get a lamp to help her see.351Similarly it cost Jesus much to seek and to save the lost. The woman's recovery of what had been lost led to great joy and rejoicing.352
This parable repeated the point of the previous one, namely that there is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents. However, it also stresses the fact that God willingly goes to great lengths to seek out and to find the lost. This attitude contrasts with that of the Pharisees and lawyers (v. 2).
Perhaps Jesus intended to focus on the Jews in the first parable since He compared the lost one to a sheep from the Master's fold. The second parable may compare the lost coin to a Gentile since a Greek coin was lost. If so, the numbers may be significant. Only a small number of Jews would experience salvation compared to the greater proportion of Gentiles who would believe the gospel. The Book of Acts reveals the comparative unresponsiveness of the Jews and the receptivity of the Gentiles.
