⁶ The second illustration was about a woman. Jesus said: “What woman with ten drachma coins, if she loses one drachma coin, does not light a lamp and sweep her house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it she calls the women who are her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the drachma coin that I lost.’ Thus, I tell you, joy arises among the angels of God over one sinner that repents.”​—Luke 15:8-10.

7. What two lessons do the illustrations of the lost sheep and the lost coin contain for us?

⁷ What can we learn from these brief illustrations? They show us (1) how we should feel about those who have grown weak and (2) what we should do to help them. Let us consider these points.

And the woman felt the loss of her coin as if she had no other coins. In both instances the missing object remained precious in the mind of the owner. What does this illustrate?

9. What is illustrated by the concern shown by the shepherd and the woman?

⁹ Note Jesus’ conclusion in both cases: “Thus there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents” and “thus, I tell you, joy arises among the angels of God over one sinner that repents.” The concern of the shepherd and the woman reflects, therefore, in its own small way, the feelings of Jehovah and his heavenly creatures. Just as what was lost remained precious in the eyes of the shepherd and of the woman, so those who have drifted away and lost contact with God’s people remain precious in Jehovah’s eyes. (Jeremiah 31:3) Such individuals may be spiritually weak, yet they are not necessarily rebellious. Despite their weakened state, to some extent they may still be keeping Jehovah’s requirements. (Psalm 119:176; Acts 15:29) Hence, as in times past, Jehovah is slow to “cast them away from before his face.”​—2 Kings 13:23.

10, 11. (a) How do we want to view those who have drifted away from the congregation? (b) According to Jesus’ two illustrations, how can we express our concern for them?

¹⁰ Like Jehovah and Jesus, we too are deeply concerned about those who are weak and missing from the Christian congregation. (Ezekiel 34:16; Luke 19:10) We view a spiritually weak individual as a lost sheep​—not a lost cause. We do not reason: ‘Why worry about a weak one? The congregation is getting along just fine without him.’ Rather, like Jehovah, we view those who have drifted away but who want to return as being valuable.

¹¹ How, though, can we express our feelings of concern? Jesus’ two illustrations indicate that we can do so (1) by taking the initiative, (2) by being gentle, and (3) by being earnest. Let us look at these aspects one at a time.