For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- KJV For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
- NKJV for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- NASB For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- NLT For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus sums up his mission: the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. This is the gospel in miniature and the key to the whole story.
Overview
This verse, echoing Ezekiel 34 where God himself promises to seek his scattered sheep, defines Christ's purpose and explains why he sought Zacchaeus. The Son of Man takes the initiative to rescue those who cannot save themselves, fulfilling God's own pledge to shepherd his people. It stands as one of the clearest statements of why Christ came into the world.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ezek 34:16I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’
- Matt 1:21She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
- 1 Tim 1:13–16I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
- Luke 5:31–32Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
- Luke 15:4–7“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
- Matt 9:12–13On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
- Rom 5:6For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
- Matt 15:24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
- Luke 15:32But it was fitting to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
- Heb 7:25Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
- 1 Jn 4:9–14This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
- Matt 10:6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
- Matt 18:10See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 19:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.