Luke 15 Parallel for Job-Seekers

I like parallel thoughts when I’m studying Scripture, do you? One came to me this morning.   Parallel thoughts aren’t interpretive, I’m not even sure they’re “devotional in nature”.   They’re just “it’s kinda like…”  thoughts—

Here’s today’s:

Jesus told three stories in Luke 15.  The lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (the prodigal).

The middle one reads this way:

Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!” In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Jesus’ point wasn’t employment searches, not at all.  His point was that God doesn’t want ANYone to perish.

Still, I couldn’t help notice some similarities, parallels for those of us who are looking for work.

• That coin was worth “about a day’s wages”.  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  Everyone in the job market knows what they need per day/week/month to pay the bills.
• She was looking for a coin she lost, we’re looking for income we’ve lost.
• She lit a lamp so she could see well. Anybody else burning the midnight oil in this endeavor?  I thought so.
• She swept the house to bring things into the open. She didn’t want to miss anything.  She ended up with a clean house as a result, too.  I’ll let you draw your own application on that one.
• She searched carefully.   Hers was an intense search, full of care, methodical and thorough. Sounds a bit like the job hunt, doesn’t it?
• She didn’t stop until she found what she was looking for.
• Then came the rejoicing – and she shared it! She invited her friends and neighbors to help celebrate!

Anybody else can’t wait for that day?    Until then, we can make a few notes and strengthen our hope watching that lady sweep her house – again.