“For the Son of
Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” – Luke 19:10
Much
of what Jesus said when He taught the multitude was about how valuable
individuals are, including those considered to be worthless in the eyes of the
society. Luke, the Greek physician from
Syria, records three of these talks in his Gospel.
There
were 100 sheep; one was lost. There were
10 coins, one was lost. There were two
sons, one was lost. Even the elements
which Jesus used in these stories varied in value. A sheep is of little value compared to a
silver coin, and a silver coin is of little value compared to the life of a
son. Yet in each case there was
rejoicing when that which was lost was found.
When
we struggle with the feelings of inadequacies, feeling we are never good enough
to warrant and receive God’s love is pictured in these three stories. Yet what we don’t understand is that God is
far more interested in our coming to the Father than we finding the
Father. When we were lost – without hope,
and without direction, Jesus came seeking and searching. Long ago, Isaiah wrote, “We all, like sheep,
have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). But Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to
seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10).
There
is help for our failures and hope for our despair. Let us take time to read these three accounts
found in Luke 15, and see ourselves in that which was lost. Our lives can
forever be different. Believe it.
