A Glimpse – The Gambia

Perhaps you’ve selected a Bible and started reading it. Maybe you’re even setting aside regular times to reflect or pray. You’ve gotten a taste of what’s inside, and a desire for God’s words is growing in you as you recognize the nourishment God offers in these encounters. What comes next? How do you go from a surface reading to unlocking and taking in more and more of what God has for you?

Whether you are reading the Bible for devotion, prayer, or academic learning, it is helpful to know how to study a Scripture passage. Studying helps us understand Scripture in its context, setting the stage for us to hear how God continues to speak to us through it today.

Find a comfy chair, pour a cup of coffee, and join me in studying the parable of the lost coin in Luke 15:8-10. Download this worksheet to try these ten steps on a passage of your choosing—alongside my example or anytime after.

1. Pray

Begin your time with prayer. Take a moment to clear your mind and focus your attention. Ask God to be with you as you study and reflect on this passage:

“Dear God, meet me as I read your Word. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand. Amen.”

2. Read the passage

Get familiar with your passage by reading it several times. Try reading it in different translations: at least one that is more word-for-word (like NRSV, NKJV, or NASB) as well as a translation that is more thought-for-thought (like GNT, NLT, or the Message). Notice how different translations help you understand the passage in different ways. What words and images stand out to you?

NRSV: “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Message: “Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”

3. Who is speaking? To whom are they speaking?

Sometimes the speaker and audience are disclosed in the passage; other times you have to go back several verses or chapters. In this passage, the previous verses tell us that the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. This made the Pharisees and scribes—the religious professionals—grumble. So Jesus addresses this teaching to them (Luke 15:1-3). Knowing Jesus is speaking these words makes us hear them as spoken with his authority. Take into account who is speaking, who they are speaking to, and what they are speaking about to discern the meaning and relative weight of your passage.

4. Who are the key characters?

Name the characters and find out who they are. Do they appear anywhere else in Scripture? Do they have a backstory? Do they have a title or role? In and around this passage, we have Pharisees and scribes, who are the religious elite in Jesus’s time. We have tax collectors and sinners, who are the outcasts. And we have the unnamed woman of the parable, respectable but with little status in Jewish culture because of her gender.

5. What is the genre of literature?

This teaching is identified as a parable (Luke 15:3), and it follows familiar markers of this type of writing. Parables tell stories using common images—like sheep and agriculture and families—to communicate deeper truths. They are fictional teaching illustrations, usually with some unexpected twist. Jesus often uses parables in teaching his disciples and other followers.

Other biblical genres you will encounter include narrative, law, prophecy, letters, wisdom, and apocalyptic literature. Identifying the genre helps us know how to read the passage—is this meant to be literal or figurative? Is it teaching or telling me something? Knowledge of the genre can help point us toward the intended meanings, similar to how we would read a novel or a history book with different expectations.

6. What does the original language say?

This step may sound daunting, but online tools now make the Greek and Hebrew behind our English translations more accessible to any reader. My favorite is Blue Letter Bible. Type in your Bible reference, then click on a specific verse to see it expanded in the original language. From that view, you can select a word and connect to its entry in their edition of Strong’s Concordance. You can see where else in the Bible this word has been used and the ways other translators have translated it, giving you a more nuanced understanding of its meaning.

7. What comes before and after the passage?

As we saw, zooming out a little helps us read the passage in context. What is happening before and after your verses? Is your passage a continuation of what came before? Is it setting up something that comes later?

Often parables come in a series, each expounding on the same teaching, or interpreting the other. In this passage, the parables before and after further illustrate the same concept. Each tells about something (or someone) that was lost being found—a lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son. Each gives a metaphor for God personally seeking out the lost—the shepherd, the woman, the father. The recovery leads to great rejoicing, pointing to God’s joy “over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

8. What are characteristics of the whole book?

Zoom out even further. What can you find out about the whole book? You may want to consult a commentary, online Bible resource, or notes included with your Bible or study Bible. What is the historical or cultural context? What are the book’s themes? Do you know who wrote or compiled it? Remember, much of the New Testament was written in the Ancient Near East during the first century, and the Old Testament is even older, so its assumptions are very different from ours in the global twenty-first century!

Often some of this information can be found in the first chapter. The author may identify who they are speaking as, address their audience, or state their purpose. For our passage, we can identify Luke as one of the four Gospels, or accounts of the life of Jesus. Luke set out to write an “orderly account” about Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection (Luke 1:1-4).

Luke’s Gospel is set within the Roman Empire, which had harsh class distinctions and power structures. There were clear “in groups” and “out groups.” The poor, women, and certain ethnic groups were at the bottom of society, often shunned and mistreated. But throughout Luke, Jesus’s call includes the outsiders. And Jesus calls his disciples to do the same.

9. What is the passage’s message to its intended audience?

There are always layers to the audience when reading Scripture. Consider who is listening to the message, who the book was written to, who this writing spoke to on a wider scale, and who is receiving its words today. In this passage we have the hearers of Jesus, the church community of Luke, the wider New Testament church, and us too.

Piecing all our research together, we now get to make some initial conclusions. The Pharisees and scribes, who are powerful and elite, are grumbling because Jesus is including sinners and outcasts in his ministry. This is an ongoing tension throughout Luke’s Gospel. In response, Jesus uses a series of parables to reiterate that including outsiders is the focus of his ministry—and one of God’s primary concerns. Jesus came to seek out the lost, and God rejoices greatly when they are found. He uses an image of a woman—someone who did not have status in his culture—to represent God diligently seeking out those who are lost and celebrating at their return.

10. Reflect on the passage’s significance for you

The last step is to take all your gleanings and contemplate what this passage may be saying to you. Each person will find that different aspects or truths stand out. God may be showing you something specific about your own journey and spiritual growth. Take time to reflect and listen.

What is God saying to you as you reflect on the parable of the lost coin? Consider these questions: Who are the lost or outcasts in your culture, community, family? If God seeks out the lost, are you called to do the same? How might you do this? Conversely, what are lost parts of yourself, in need of Jesus? In what ways might God be seeking you now? How would it feel to be found?

As you go forward, live with the passage. Let the words and observations take root inside you. See if they come to mind in certain situations, giving you wisdom or insight or calling you to take an action. Let the passage’s meanings mature in you over time.

One Sheep

(Matthew 18.12-14)

1 Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. 2 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this story:

4 If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let's celebrate! I've found my lost sheep.”

7 Jesus said, “In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over 99 good people who don't need to.”

One Coin

8 Jesus told the people another story:

What will a woman do if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them? Won't she light a lamp, sweep the floor, and look carefully until she finds it? 9 Then she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, “Let's celebrate! I've found the coin I lost.”

10 Jesus said, “In the same way God's angels are happy when even one person turns to him.”

Two Sons

11 Jesus told them yet another story:

Once a man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, “Give me my share of the property.” So the father divided his property between his two sons.

13 Not long after that, the younger son packed up everything he owned and left for a foreign country, where he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 He had spent everything, when a bad famine spread through that whole land. Soon he had nothing to eat.

15 He went to work for a man in that country, and the man sent him out to take care of his pigs. 16 He would have been glad to eat what the pigs were eating, but no one gave him a thing.

17 Finally, he came to his senses and said, “My father's workers have plenty to eat, and here I am, starving to death! 18 I will go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer good enough to be called your son. Treat me like one of your workers.’ ”

20 The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.

21 The son said, “Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son.”

22 But his father said to the servants, “Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found.” And they began to celebrate.

25 The older son had been out in the field. But when he came near the house, he heard the music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants over and asked, “What's going on here?”

27 The servant answered, “Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father ordered us to kill the best calf.” 28 The older brother got so angry that he would not even go into the house.

His father came out and begged him to go in. 29 But he said to his father, “For years I have worked for you like a slave and have always obeyed you. But you have never even given me a little goat, so that I could give a dinner for my friends. 30 This other son of yours wasted your money on prostitutes. And now that he has come home, you ordered the best calf to be killed for a feast.”

31 His father replied, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we should be glad and celebrate! Your brother was dead, but he is now alive. He was lost and has now been found.”

Paraboles de la brebis égarée, de la drachme perdue, de l’enfant prodigue

V. 1-10: cf. Mt 9:10-13Mt 18:11-14.

1 Tous les publicains et les gens de mauvaise vie s’approchaient de Jésus pour l’entendre. 2 Et les pharisiens et les scribes murmuraient, disant: Cet homme accueille des gens de mauvaise vie, et mange avec eux. 3 Mais il leur dit cette parabole:

4 Quel homme d’entre vous, s’il a cent brebis, et qu’il en perde une, ne laisse les quatre-vingt-dix-neuf autres dans le désert pour aller après celle qui est perdue, jusqu’à ce qu’il la retrouve? 5 Lorsqu’il l’a retrouvée, il la met avec joie sur ses épaules, 6 et, de retour à la maison, il appelle ses amis et ses voisins, et leur dit: Réjouissez-vous avec moi, car j’ai retrouvé ma brebis qui était perdue. 7 De même, je vous le dis, il y aura plus de joie dans le ciel pour un seul pécheur qui se repent, que pour quatre-vingt-dix-neuf justes qui n’ont pas besoin de repentance. 8 Ou quelle femme, si elle a dix drachmes, et qu’elle en perde une, n’allume une lampe, ne balaie la maison, et ne cherche avec soin, jusqu’à ce qu’elle la retrouve? 9 Lorsqu’elle l’a retrouvée, elle appelle ses amies et ses voisines, et dit: Réjouissez-vous avec moi, car j’ai retrouvé la drachme que j’avais perdue. 10 De même, je vous le dis, il y a de la joie devant les anges de Dieu pour un seul pécheur qui se repent.

V. 11-32: cf. v. 1-10; Lu 19:1-10. Mt 21:18-32. Os 14. 1 Jn 3:1. Mi 7:7, Mi 8.

11 Il dit encore: Un homme avait deux fils.

12 Le plus jeune dit à son père: Mon père, donne-moi la part de bien qui doit me revenir. Et le père leur partagea son bien. 13 Peu de jours après, le plus jeune fils, ayant tout ramassé, partit pour un pays éloigné, où il dissipa son bien en vivant dans la débauche. 14 Lorsqu’il eut tout dépensé, une grande famine survint dans ce pays, et il commença à se trouver dans le besoin. 15 Il alla se mettre au service d’un des habitants du pays, qui l’envoya dans ses champs garder les pourceaux. 16 Il aurait bien voulu se rassasier des carouges que mangeaient les pourceaux, mais personne ne lui en donnait. 17 Étant rentré en lui-même, il se dit: Combien de mercenaires chez mon père ont du pain en abondance, et moi, ici, je meurs de faim! 18 Je me lèverai, j’irai vers mon père, et je lui dirai: Mon père, j’ai péché contre le ciel et contre toi, 19 je ne suis plus digne d’être appelé ton fils; traite-moi comme l’un de tes mercenaires. 20 Et il se leva, et alla vers son père. Comme il était encore loin, son père le vit et fut ému de compassion, il courut se jeter à son cou et le baisa. 21 Le fils lui dit: Mon père, j’ai péché contre le ciel et contre toi, je ne suis plus digne d’être appelé ton fils. 22 Mais le père dit à ses serviteurs: Apportez vite la plus belle robe, et l’en revêtez; mettez-lui un anneau au doigt, et des souliers aux pieds. 23 Amenez le veau gras, et tuez-le. Mangeons et réjouissons-nous; 24 car mon fils que voici était mort, et il est revenu à la vie; il était perdu, et il est retrouvé. Et ils commencèrent à se réjouir. 25 Or, le fils aîné était dans les champs. Lorsqu’il revint et approcha de la maison, il entendit la musique et les danses. 26 Il appela un des serviteurs, et lui demanda ce que c’était. 27 Ce serviteur lui dit: Ton frère est de retour, et, parce qu’il l’a retrouvé en bonne santé, ton père a tué le veau gras. 28 Il se mit en colère, et ne voulut pas entrer. Son père sortit, et le pria d’entrer. 29 Mais il répondit à son père: Voici, il y a tant d’années que je te sers, sans avoir jamais transgressé tes ordres, et jamais tu ne m’as donné un chevreau pour que je me réjouisse avec mes amis. 30 Et quand ton fils est arrivé, celui qui a mangé ton bien avec des prostituées, c’est pour lui que tu as tué le veau gras! 31 Mon enfant, lui dit le père, tu es toujours avec moi, et tout ce que j’ai est à toi; 32 mais il fallait bien s’égayer et se réjouir, parce que ton frère que voici était mort et qu’il est revenu à la vie, parce qu’il était perdu et qu’il est retrouvé.