9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Man has been playing hide and seek from God since the fall in the Garden of Eden! We find in Genesis:
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" Gen 3:8-9 (NIV)
The wording in our verses for today describe in Jesus’ own words His mission - to seek out, to try to obtain, to desire to possess so as to deliver, make whole, preserve from danger, loss and destruction those headed for utter decimation and ruination. He states His job description earlier in Luke in yet another way:
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:17-21 (NIV)
Freedom for the captives, sight for those who walk in darkness, relief for the oppressed – indeed, Jesus came to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. The ensuing result of the fall of man was that the whole world became lost.
“God sent His Son, His lifeline to the human race held captive by sin. The Apostle Paul wrote, ‘At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly’ (Romans 5:6). No longer are we without hope. Jesus, the Light of the World, came, and ‘to those who believed in Him name, He gave the right to become children of God’ (John 1:12).” Dr. Howard G. Hendricks
“The gracious intention of the Son of God: He came to seek and save, to seek in order to save. He came from heaven to earth (a long journey), to seek that which was lost (which had wandered and gone astray), and to bring it back, and to save that which was lost, which was perishing. Christ undertook the cause when it was given up for lost. Christ came into this lost world to seek and save it. His intention was to save. To further that intention, He sought, took all likely means to effect that salvation. He seeks those who did not seek Him, and did not ask for Him.” Matthew Henry
12 "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. Matt 18:12-13 (NIV)
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:3-7 (NIV)
While heaven rejoices when any sinner repents, God is most glorified when the habitual, heinous sinner turns from their wicked way to follow Jesus – certainly the world takes note of such an unnatural phenomenon. It goes against human nature to walk as Jesus walked, and for the more blatant sinner, it is a much greater contrast. Consider Saul turned Paul who stated:
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Tim 1:15-17 (NIV)
“No pit is so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” Corrie Ten Boom
“Jesus came not merely to set an example or to show that He cared. He came to salvage sinners from their spiritual destitution—and Paul said he was the worst of that lot. There must be no misunderstanding of this most fundamental point. It is a truth that is completely trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. The ultimate sinner became the ultimate saint; God’s greatest enemy became His finest servant. Somewhere between these extremes fall all the rest.” Bible Knowledge Commentary
“Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Your stars shine; Let me find Your light in my darkness, Your life in my death, Your joy in my sorrow, Your grace in my sin, Your riches in my poverty, Your glory in my valley.” From: The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions