Being Lost
Like most folks, I hate being lost, that feeling that you don’t really know where you are or what is going on. I well remember the first time I found myself inextricably lost in an academic class—everyone else seemed to be able to grasp what was going on, and I was completely out of it. Or, that time when I was separated from my parents at an amusement park, the dread falling upon me. Glimpsing who I thought was my mother in the distance, I ran and grabbed her hand, only to hear some lady say, “I’m not your mother!” Panic!
The awareness of being lost can bring out the worst emotions—fear, dread, panic. If we are not careful, those emotions can lead us further and further from safety. But, worse than the awareness of being lost, is being lost without being aware of it! Imagine ignorantly plodding along, confident in what and where you are going, never realizing that you are utterly lost.
If one knows they are lost, it makes all the difference in finding them as well. If they realize they are lost, the “finders” can call out their name, confident that the lost are seeking a way out of their lost-ness. But, when those who are lost do not even realize it, it makes finding them all the harder.
Jesus came to save the lost. We are told this over and over again in the Scripture. Yes, He came to show us the way, to show us how to live, to point us to the Father, but all these are part of a larger picture—Jesus came to save! And, what a blessing that is—we rejoice moment by moment in the salvation we have in Jesus. It is easy to imagine—we are lost, crying out in desperation, with no hope for salvation… and then the Savior appears! Salvation has come!
But, what if we are not even aware we are lost? What if we are happily moving through life without a care, totally unaware of how very lost we are?
Praise God! Jesus has come not only to save us but also to seek us out. It is not enough that Jesus finds us when we are lost and crying out for Him. He also has come to this world explicitly to seek those who are lost and are not aware of it! The reality is, we are lost without knowing it. In so many ways, we are not following the path of our Lord. When we realize it, we cry out for salvation and He is there to save. But what happens when we are not aware of it? Yes, still He saves! He seeks us out, shows us that we are indeed lost, and then points to Himself as the solution, the Savior.
Imagine, our heavenly Father, sending out a search party for those who are lost in the wilderness of sin, a search party led by Jesus Himself. So many of those lost do not even know it, so when the Savior appears, He helps them recognize their “lost-ness”—not to embarrass them, but so that they might willingly embrace and accept His offer to lead them home.
I needed to be found and saved; and, so did you. Praise God, Jesus came to seek and save the lost!
Read Luke 19:10 and John 1:1-14.
1. In Luke 19:10, Jesus refers to Himself as “the Son of Man.” Why does He use this title? How is that reflected in His work to seek and save the lost?
2. What qualities mark out “the lost”? What makes them “lost”?
3. What is the difference between “seeking the lost” and “saving the lost”? Why is it necessary, important for Jesus to accomplish both goals?
4. In the advent season, we eagerly await the celebration of the coming of Jesus. Knowing that His coming was for a specific purpose can change our understanding of the celebration. How might we celebrate His coming differently knowing His purpose is to seek and save the lost?
5. John 1 is a classic “Christmas reading” for it tells the story of the coming of Jesus in powerful terms. How is the purpose of “seeking and saving the lost” found in this text? Where does John describe Jesus as a seeker? A Savior?
6. Can you identify moments in your life where Jesus “sought” you?
7. How might the seeking pursuit of our Lord change the way you share with others about the beauty and glories of Christmas?
