To Seek and to Save - The Gospel of Luke

 

Serve and Protect vs. Seek and Save

The police in the United States have long had the simple motto — “To Serve and Protect.” They are authority figures, they are crime fighters, and they are there for the protection and safety of the city. I have witnessed these courageous men and women doing their job with humility and wisdom in some of the most difficult and painful situations. They are among the people I most admire in the modern world.

Jesus Christ’s mission is described in a similar way. In Mark we find that He came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). In Luke the description of His ministry is to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus’ famous statement, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Luke 5:31–32; cf. Matthew 9:12–13; Mark 2:17), is recorded in each of the Gospels, but Luke’s account of the life of Christ really drives the point home.

Prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners are all brought together around the gentle, saving hand of Jesus Christ (Luke 7:36–50; Luke 19:1–10). The sick are healed (Luke 4:40; 5:12–15), the demonically oppressed are liberated (Luke 8:26–39), and all are given the hope of knowing that the God of the universe came to seek and to save us — to do for us what we could never do for ourselves (Romans 5:6–8; Ephesians 2:8–9). The Lord broke into our weakness and sorrow and provided salvation for all who would come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith (John 3:16; Acts 16:31).

Running from God — The Human Condition

The parables of Luke 15 make the heart of Christ clear to us. As sinners we know intuitively that we have rebelled against the righteous demands and standards of God (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6). Most people feel as if they are on the run from God — like criminals on the lam. They avoid any mention of the Lord, and hope if they just ignore God then they will never get caught (John 3:19–20). Like a person hoping that by ignoring the warning notices they can avoid paying their taxes or going to jail, they simply do not want to hear anything about the Lord.

Mistaking Mercy for Judgment — A Moody Illustration

D. L. Moody told a story about an old widow who was in great financial distress. She waited for so long to address the issue that the bank was coming to take her home. Her church family, in the meantime, was not idle. They came together and raised enough money to pay off her debt and keep her in her home (Galatians 6:2).

The minister came to the widow’s home with a check, excited to present the gift. He knocked and knocked, and she did not answer. He called and hollered at the doorstep, and yet she did not answer. He pounded on the back door. But there was still no answer. Finally, he gave up and went back to the church.

He saw the widow on Sunday and asked her why she would not come to the door when he had tried to visit earlier that week. She explained that she thought that he was the bank coming to take her house away. She had suffered miserably for the entire week thinking that the minister’s mission of mercy was a visitation of judgment.

The Heart of God Revealed — Luke 15

Luke 15 corrects our foolish attitudes. It causes us to see clearly — the three parables all revolve around the idea of lost people recovering something that they cared about (Luke 15:1–3).

The Lost Sheep

The parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4–7) highlights the troubling math of this Shepherd who would leave the entire flock vulnerable simply to save the one who went astray. Yet this is exactly what the Lord’s love does — it reaches out and seeks to save that lost one, rather than simply “cut losses.” God’s desire is to save sinners — to redeem what was lost (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3–4).

The Lost Coin

The parable of the lost coin is about a woman whose coin goes missing (Luke 15:8–10). Some think that this is an allusion to part of her wedding dowry — an ornate bit of jewelry where coins were woven together with string to form a personal ornamentation that was both financially valuable and precious. To find that lost coin and place it back into its setting would be a memento from the beloved memory of her wedding day. The joy over its recovery reflects heaven’s joy over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10).

The Lost Son (The Prodigal Son)

The final story is the most well-known and impactful (Luke 15:11–32). The story of the lost son records a young man who shamed and disrespected his father by asking for his inheritance before his father’s death. He takes that sum of money and wastes it on his own foolish living. He finds himself in poverty — and returns home, hoping to become a servant in his father’s house.

To his surprise, his father welcomes him back into the household. He is restored to the place of his son (Luke 15:20–24). It shows the loving heart of the Father who was willing to forgive great personal insult and injury to see his son restored (Psalm 103:10–13; Micah 7:18–19).

Yet he is not the only focus of the story. The purpose of this account is also to highlight the anger of the elder son (Luke 15:25–30). The elder son did what was right and wanted the younger son to receive no forgiveness, no mercy. He wanted to see justice enforced. His graceless attitude is more typical of human response to these situations than we may think. We see how difficult it is for mankind to accept and understand the grace of God (Ephesians 2:4–5). Oftentimes we fear that God is going to be graceless and unforgiving, and just as often we hope He is going to be graceless and unforgiving.

Christ the Substitute — The Solution to Our Problem

The Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to present Himself as the solution to our problem. He took the judgment that was due to us upon Himself at the Cross (Isaiah 53:5–6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). He did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world (John 3:17).

The Offer Still Stands — A Window of Grace

That offer is still on the table. These days of grace and patience are characterized centrally by the chance for the vilest offender who trusts in Jesus Christ to receive eternal life and salvation from His nail-scarred hands (John 5:24; Romans 10:9–13; Revelation 22:17).

Judgment is coming — there can be no mistake (Acts 17:30–31; Hebrews 9:27). But now the window is open for all who trust in Jesus Christ to escape that judgment and to share the gospel of salvation with others (2 Corinthians 5:18–20; Matthew 28:19–20).