For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Parallel translations
- KJV For the Son of man is come 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 will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice.
- Matt 1:21She shall give birth to a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
- 1 Tim 1:13–16although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
- Luke 5:31–32Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
- Luke 15:4–7“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?
- Matt 9:12–13When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
- Rom 5:6For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
- Matt 15:24But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
- Luke 15:32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
- Heb 7:25Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.
- 1 Jn 4:9–14By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
- Matt 10:6Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
- Matt 18:10See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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.