For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- BSB For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the 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 that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
- Matt 1:21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
- 1 Tim 1:13–16Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
- Luke 5:31–32And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
- Luke 15:4–7What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
- Matt 9:12–13But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
- Rom 5:6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
- Matt 15:24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- Luke 15:32It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
- Heb 7:25Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
- 1 Jn 4:9–14In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
- Matt 10:6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- Matt 18:10Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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.