What does Luke 15:8 mean?

Jesus continues to challenge religious leaders to see sinners as God does. The Pharisees have watched several times as Jesus interacted with Jews who have lived an ungodly life. They see a man who claims to teach God's truth interacting with people whose lifestyle indicates rejection of those teachings. They think Jesus' engagement is an endorsement of their lifestyle. They don't recognize a rescue mission (Luke 5:31–32; 15:1–2).

Jesus responds with three parables. First, He talks about how some of these sinners made foolish choices. They're like a sheep that left its loving shepherd and wandered off into danger. What good shepherd wouldn't go after the sheep and rejoice once it was safe with the flock again (Luke 15:3–7)?

Now, Jesus tells a parable referring to those who don't realize they are separated from God. In this parable of the lost coin, Jesus describes a coin that has gone missing. The woman who owns the coin, worth about a day's wages, has nine more, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to find the one. She scours the house until she finds it. When she does, she invites her friends and family to celebrate with her. The legalistic Pharisees need to rejoice when the lost are found, not question the woman's motives for searching for the coin (Luke 15:9–10).