Luke 19:10 NIVUK
[10] For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’ https://bible.com/bible/113/luk.19.10.NIVUK
Since my youth, I have been an avid watcher of police and detective shows and movies: when a crime has been committed and the offender needs to be caught. They are always entertaining, sometimes tense, and don’t always have the result we might expect.
There are people who see God in this way. They see Him as the investigator of the sins they have committed and expect Him to come to them with a list of their failings. And so they stay as far away from Him as they can.
There is an element of truth in this. However, God does not need to investigate our failings – He already knows them, as David noted:
Psalms 69:5 NIVUK
[5] You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you. https://bible.com/bible/113/psa.69.5.NIVUK
So when God seeks after us, it is not in judgement. It cannot be. He already knows everything about is. We can’t hide from Him (Psalm 139:7-13; Hebrews 4:13).
There is a surprising text right in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve had sinned and were hiding from God:
Genesis 3:9 NIVUK
[9] But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ https://bible.com/bible/113/gen.3.9.NIVUK
I don’t believe that God was asking this because He was unaware of where Adam and Eve were. That would not make sense. Instead, I believe God asked this question to see if Adam and Eve knew where they were, and how their sin had distanced them from God.
So before we look at how we are sought after, I have to ask you this question: where are you with God? Are you close to Him, or do you realise how far you have strayed?
The single verse we are studying comes from one of the most joyous, and yet controversial, parts of the Word of God, when Jesus seeks to have a relationship with an unworthy man – a tax collector for the despised Roman empire, in a rich city that was the first place the Jews took when they entered the Promised Land. It had become both a symbol of their national identity and a symbol of their oppression at the same time.
Here, in this not insignificant place, Jesus befriends a friend of their enemy. How He does it shows how Jesus has always beckoned thoroughly unworthy people to be His friends.
The first stage of this is The Seeker.
Jesus uses a very interesting title to refer to Himself here: the Son of Man. The Greek words Jesus used here – huios ho andropos – indicate that Jesus is literally that: an offspring of mankind.
Its Hebrew equivalent – ben adam – can mean ‘son of Adam’ and ‘son of man’; again, a title indicating Christ’s humanity.
In the Old Testament, it is used exclusively to refer to someone who is either human (see its frequent usage in the book of Ezekiel to refer to the prophet himself – 2:1, 6:2, 11:4, 16:2, etc.) or to a heavenly being that resembled a human being (Daniel 7:13, echoed in Revelation 1:13 and 13:14). In the New Testament, it refers exclusively to Jesus, as the ultimate expression of what it means to be human.
In other words – and this is critical to our understanding of Christmas, and, indeed, the whole of the Gospel message – the whole point of Jesus becoming a man at all was to seek out the lost.
So the absolute essence of Christianity is not all the bells and smells and buildings and rituals. They are just additions – and often unnecessary ones at that.
No, the essence of Christianity is God sending His Son Jesus to seek out the lost.
That is all there is to it.
Think about this for a second. If someone goes missing, how often does the Chief of Police join in the search? Probably only if it was a close relative.
Yet here we see God Incarnate coming to earth to seek and to save the wilful, stubborn and sinful lost.
How incredible is that!
Apart from the seeker, we also see The Seeking.
Luke helpfully includes two pictures of seeking in Luke 15: for a lost sheep and a lost coin.
Both of these would have caused a deal of stress and strain. Sheep were the source of a shepherd’s income. He could not be careless with them. We see thousands of years earlier that shepherd could be liable for damage or loss to the sheep in their care (Genesis 31:39; Exodus 22:10-13). So of course the shepherd will seek out the sheep!
It is believed that the lost coin was part of a headpiece or necklace that was part of Jewish bridal tradition. If that coin was not found, the wedding could have been called off and it would have been very difficult for the women who lost the coin to find another husband.
So in both cases, the seeking would be accompanied by a degree of anxiety – although, from the way both the shepherd and the woman searched, there was clearly no panic there.
Searching alone for a lost sheep in the distant wilderness would also put the shepherd in harm’s way. There were numerous threats in a place like that, and not just the weather conditions either. Although he had to search for the sheep, it would not exactly be risk-free.
Then we see Jesus. His seeking us was anything but risk-free:
John 1:10-11 NIVUK
[10] He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. [11] He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.1.11.NIVUK
Jesus was misunderstood throughout His entire lifetime: from His visit to the Temple as a young boy (Luke 2:41-50), to His own disciples’ lack of awareness of who He really was (Mark 4:41; Luke 8:25), to His own trial before Pilate (John 18:34-38), to the reaction of two disciples as they left Jerusalem and met with Jesus (Luke 24:13-32), it’s plainly obvious that Jesus was an outlier and anomaly, someone outside their experience whom they could not understand.
In fact, it was Jesus’ seeking that confused the Jewish religious leaders the most. They could not understand why any self-respecting rabbi could possibly want to spend time with the riff -raff, flotsam and jetsam of their culture. They just didn’t get it, as we see from their reactions:
Matthew 9:10-11
[10] While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. [11] When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.9.10-11.NIVUK
Luke 7:39 NIVUK
[39] When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.’
Luke 15:1-2 NIVUK
[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering round to hear Jesus. [2] But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.’
Luke 19:7 NIVUK
[7] All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ https://bible.com/bible/113/luk.19.7.NIVUK
A friend of ours recently went on a mission trip to Tondo, Manila, to work with a church there that reaches out to children in dire, dire need. However, someone else we know questioned why someone would spend their hard-end cash to visit a rubbish dump.
The reason is simple:
Jesus did.
He came to a place that is far worse than a burning rubbish dump compared to where He came from.
He came to earth.
To seek the lost.
To seek you.
As well as the seeker and the seeking, we see The Saving.
And this is beyond extraordinary. This ought to send our spirits soaring.
Jesus saves.
But it's whom He saves that really strikes home the truth of the Gospel.
I’m not sure if you are aware of the Trolley Problem. It is an ethical thought experiment. It is a conundrum. Say you are the driver of an out of control tram, or trolley. In front of you are five people whom you will hit and kill. However, you can divert the trolley onto another track where you would kill only one person.
Which would you choose?
This problem sends people into all manner of discussions and rabbit holes, and discussions of ‘What if?’, or who they feel it would be okay to kill or save: who deserves to live.
Jesus’ answer to the problem of sin – which is far more real and pressing – is much more radical:
He saves.
Jesus saves.
And this is incredible.
Acts 15:11 NIVUK
[11] No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’
2 Timothy 1:9-10 NIVUK
[9] He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, [10] but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Titus 3:3-7
[3] At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. [4] But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, [5] he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, [6] whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, [7] so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Jesus saves.
But we see here not just the seeker and the seeking and the saving, we see The Sought-After.
And this is where things really become beyond incredible.
Consider, if you will, a picture. I have a friend who works in Mountain Rescue. They go out in sometimes remarkably harsh weather conditions to rescue people who have got into trouble on the Scottish mountains. Sometimes it’s experienced hikers and climbers who took a calculated risk and became unwell or injured.
Other times it’s thoughtless, ill-considered day-trippers who are naive, a little stupid, and head into dangerous mountains in dangerous conditions without the proper equipment.
Who would you save?
Would you save the one and leave the other to freeze for a bit, to teach them a lesson?
Would you save one and present the other with an invoice for their rescue?
My friend doesn’t. He saves them both. Even at risk to himself.
What makes this verse so remarkable is that it is the lost whom Jesus comes to save. The Greek word for ‘lost’ doesn’t just mean ‘misplaced’. It also means ‘destroyed’ or ‘useless’ or ‘to be put to death’. It comes from the same root as the name sometimes used of satan – ‘Apollyon’ – the destroyer. It is similar in concept to the Hebrew word ‘haram’ – which means ‘devoted to destruction’.
In other words, by ‘lost’, Jesus means who are not just a little confused, but completely and utterly on the road to their own ruin.
It could not be more descriptive.
Yet these are the people Jesus came to save:
Matthew 9:10-13 NIVUK
[10] While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. [11] When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ [12] On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. [13] But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’
Luke 5:29-32 NIVUK
[29] Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. [30] But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, ‘Why do you eat and
drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ [31] Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. [32] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’
The people Jesus seeks are not those who have their lives together and will follow Him only for the prestige it would bring.
No, the people Jesus seeks are those whose lives are an utter mess: the down-and-outs, the drug addicts, the alcoholics, the drug addicts, the prisoners, the illegal immigrants who furtively dodge the authorities to gain a crust, the con-men and crooks, the prostitutes and rent boys, those whose love life resembles a slow motion car crash, the lonely, the desperate, the angry, those at the end of their tether, the suicidal, the morose and depressed...
Those who regard themselves as chronic failures at life.
These are the lost.
And here’s the thing. Like Zacchaeus and Matthew/Levi, these people don’t necessarily need to be poor – although many are. They can also be really rich, and making money from ill-gotten gains, having a full bank balance but a desperately empty soul.
I want you to be honest with me – really brutally honest here:
Are these the people you would seek out?
Somehow I doubt it.
These are the people we would seek to avoid because they are misfits, miscreants and people we do not wish to be around to avoid their bad influence.
Yet Jesus seeks them out. To save them.
Moreover, and this will be controversial for some, we cannot be saved unless we realise we stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
Think about it: if something is not lost, how can it be found?
How can something be saved if it is not at risk?
That is the problem. For us to be found and saved, we must first admit we are lost. And there is no point in saying ‘Well, I might be lost, but I'm not as lost as they are.’ That is utter nonsense. There are not levels of being lost. There is not a spectrum of being lost.
If you are lost, then you are lost.
If you are found, then you are found.
The profound beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ came to earth as the seeker to seek out those who are lost and to save them. His search was not risk-free. Far from it. It cost Him His life. It cost Him everything.
But now He offers the opportunity for us to be found.
There is a well-known joke about an egotistical traveller who clearly was very disoriented. A helpful local asked him, ‘Sir, are you lost?’
‘No I am most certainly not!’ he thundered. ‘I know precisely where I am. It’s place that is lost.’
The Gospel is a beautiful story of love, of the God of all Creation who comes to earth as a baby, grows up as a man and dedicates His life – literally – to seeking and saving the lost.
To seeking and saving you and I.
Don’t miss that love. Don’t miss that care. Don’t dismiss that sacrifice.
Let Jesus find you and save you today.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, my heart leaps for joy at the very thought that You would give so much to find me and save me. I will give my all to love, serve and follow You. Amen.
Questions
1. Why is the identity of the One who seeks us so thrilling?
2. Who does He seek? What does this say about us?
3. Are you willing to be found by Jesus? Why / why not?
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