Luke 15:8-9.
A woman has ten pieces of silver. She loses one. She searches the house diligently until she finds it. When she does, she calls her friends and neighbors together to celebrate.
Now, this parable is often not taught correctly in Western churches. Why? Because of a lack of understanding of what this means in the Eastern World.
The ten pieces of silver are given to the bride as a purchase price. She is given other gifts of jewelry, but these hold the most significance. As far as money value, they're worth very little. Their symbolic meaning is what makes them priceless.
The bride wears them in hair on little hooks and guards them with her life. If she loses one it is a sign God no longer favors the house. They lose their blessings. If she fails to find it, she will be thrown into the streets to die.
No wonder she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, 'Guess what, I lost one piece of silver, but I found it again. I won't have to live on the streets and die. Let's party!'
Understanding the significance behind the ten pieces of silver brings an entire new light to the verse and why finding one piece of silver was so important. I wasn't because they were poor as is popularly taught - it was because if she didn't - she received a death sentence!
Reference: 'Light through an Eastern Window' by Bishop K.C. Pillai
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