The Penny

While walking around the neighbor some time ago, I did something I don’t normally do anymore. I stooped down to pick up a penny lying in the street. At least I thought it was a penny. It had been run over by cars so many times that it was hardly recognizable as a viable one cent piece. I took it home and cleaned it up. Using a magnifying glass I could barely make out the corner of the Lincoln Memorial on its reverse side. Never-the-less, It reminded me of Jesus’ parable of the lost coin and how you don’t find many shiny pennies on the street. They’re usually scuffed up pretty bad. And that reminded me of Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep and how you wouldn’t find many fat and contented lost sheep, either. More likely covered with burs, hungry and crying for help. And that reminded me me that Jesus is the Good shepherd who has a certain fondness for lost sheep and lost coins, which reminded me that at one time or another we are all lost sheep or lost coins, maybe both at the same time, in need of someone to pick us up and dust us off or herd us back to the flock, which reminded me that Jesus is the perfect one to do just that. And finally, it reminded me that as surrogate shepherds maybe we should be more on the lookout for scuffed up lost pennies instead of shiny new ones and burr covered, dirty sheep instead of nice clean ones.

I decided I would keep the dirty old coin just to remind me of such things.

-John McPherson