My three younger kiddos used to love going to the grocery store with me. Some of this was because they would get a free cookie and a free piece of fruit (thank you, COVID, for taking that bright spot away). They do still enjoy going with me because about 80% of the time, they will find a penny or two. My son, for example, was so excited to have found a penny that he just had to hold it in his hand; he couldn’t bear to put it in the safety of his pocket or let me hold it for him. Low and behold, he lost it in the abyss of the van (doubles as a closet, toy box, pantry, and tool shed). He was so upset that he was in tears! Over a penny! At the time (this was a few years ago), He didn’t know the value of a penny, but we do… and many of us scoff at a lost penny. We shrug the loss off, not worth our time to look for it, and go on our way. Very quickly, almost instantly, the missing penny is forgotten.
A nickel is a little different; dime, too. A quarter… oh we look for a little while, but it’s not like it’s a whole dollar. Because it takes 100 pennies to make a dollar, we don’t value them as much as 20 nickels, 10 dimes, or 4 quarters. It’s not convenient for us to keep track of, carry around with us, or count out 100 pennies. Instead of being pleased that we have a dollar, we’re disgusted that it’s in pennies (and we dump them back in the jar until we can roll them up and turn them in to the bank)! If someone were to offer me either 20 nickels or 100 pennies, I would take the 20 nickels, not because there’s a higher monetary value to the nickels, but because it’s more convenient. But that’s what our society is all about these days: there’s a high value placed on convenience.
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin!'” Luke 15:8-9 (NIV)
This verse so reminds me of our son when he found the penny he’d lost in the van. He proudly held his penny high for all to see and shouted with all the power in his lungs, “LOOK, MOMMY! I FOUND MY PENNY!” And there was an unmistakable joy on his face, laughter in his eyes, and an excitement that was contagious! I celebrated with him and congratulated him on his awesomeness! All over a penny.
Does the penny have a higher value than before? No, it’s still worth 1/100th of a dollar. But he, like the woman in Luke 15, placed value on the coin. It was worth a great deal to them. It’s hard for me to picture a Hollywood A-lister digging through their home, or stooping in the parking lot to pick up a penny. But for someone who has a cardboard box to call home and a shopping cart filled with what we call trash, so much can be found in finding a penny – hope.
I can’t help but think of the shepherd who left the 99 to look for the 1 lost sheep (this is also found in Luke 15, but also in Matthew 18). While a penny isn’t going to sprout legs and wander off, sheep absolutely do. As a mom, I also know how easily kiddos can wander off, too. They think it will be fun to hide in the clothes racks, duck around the corner of the isle, or they simply get distracted by something they want to look at. The panic that can so easily rise up at the realization that your child is missing is something that’s not mentioned when reading about the shepherd who went searching for his lost sheep.
“Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.'” Luke 15:3-7 (NIV)
“‘What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.'” Matthew 18:12-14 (NIV)
Both of these recounts of the parable Jesus told omit the state of mind of the shepherd when he discovers that one of his sheep have gone missing. All of the focus is on when he finds the sheep. He rejoices! He proudly comes home carrying his sheep and holds it for all to see – “Rejoice with me!” The shepherd focuses on the end result – the time to celebrate finding the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost child.
The joy in finding a penny is something that many find illogical. It’s a penny. The search for a single sheep out of 100 is something considered illogical. Well, I’m happy to report that grace defies logic. This defiance of logic calls for a massive celebration.
Christ dying for the ungodly (Romans 5:6-8) defies logic. We were sinners – not a single redeeming quality – but God saw fit to pursue us. In finding us in our mess of sin and ungodliness, He picked us up and carried us. We didn’t have to do anything but allow Him to pick us up and carry us home. This is illogical! He found us, but obviously we should give his shoulders a break and walk – heck, we should show Him all we know and trot in front every now and then. He went to the trouble of finding us and picking us up, but we should do our part to get home.
While we can look at both of these scenarios and see both as being illogical, only one really is: self-salvation, even if only “helping,” is absolutely illogical. Grace defies logic. God defies logic. Some see a drop of grace and are satisfied. But that illogical drop came from an immeasurable ocean. There are depths we’ll never explore this side of Heaven, and because of that, we tend to place limitations. We can’t explain it, it doesn’t fit in the mold, it defies our ability to understand – so we limit it to what we think we know. We logically think a penny is only worth 1/100th of a dollar, and we’re not wrong… but we fail when we assume that we understand God’s logic and the value He’s placed on that same penny.
God’s logic says that we are saved by grace through faith and not our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). His logic says we are justified and freed from sin’s penalty through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice (Romans 3:24). God’s logic expresses that we have been made righteous – we are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). Just three examples, but here’s one that always catches me: Isaiah is prophesying about the coming King and can’t help but exclaiming, “Who shall believe our report?” (Isaiah 53:1). I picture him saying, “This is so illogical! Who would ever believe what God is saying and doing?!”
God’s ways are higher than our ways… I’ve heard this before in so many different church circles. It is so true. Why, then, do we try to fit Him and His ocean of grace in a small drop as though that’s all there is? There is no mold, there is nothing big enough to hold the waters, and it is impossible to apply our meager human logic to God’s logic. God’s goodness offends human reason. He operates in an ocean of grace. Do you trust Him enough to dive in? Do you trust that He values you enough to search, pursue, and celebrate over you? Do you, as the lost sheep, trust Him to carry you safely home? Seems like it would be logical to believe God’s logic… even if it defies our logic.