Bible Strands
Matthew 18:11
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
King James Version
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Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to his disciples immediately after warning them against despising "these little ones" and just before introducing the parable of the lost sheep. He addresses them to explain the practical outworking of his mission in light of their concern for vulnerable believers.
The words — The Greek text centers on ἦλθεν (ēlthen), meaning "came," and σῶσαι (sōsai), meaning "to save," which together form the clause that the Son of man arrived specifically for rescue. This construction directly ties his physical arrival to the preservation of those who are lost.
The thread — The motif of seeking the lost runs directly through the supplied context, where Matthew 18:10 commands attention to "these little ones" and Matthew 18:12 poses the rhetorical question about leaving ninety-nine sheep to search for one that strays. The verse functions as the theological bridge between the warning to the disciples and the illustrative parable that follows.
Why it lands — The text states that the Son of man came to save the lost before any interpreter applies that claim to individual salvation or ecclesial policy. It demands that readers align their treatment of vulnerable believers with the stated purpose of Christ's arrival, treating the preservation of the lost as the operative priority.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.