Save the lost ones (Lk 19:10-19:10)

“The Son of Man

Came

To seek out

And to save

The lost.”

 

ἦλθεν γὰρ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός.

 

Luke indicated that Jesus repeated this idea that the Son of Man came (ἦλθεν γὰρ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου) to seek out (ζητῆσαι) and save (καὶ σῶσαι) the lost ones (τὸ ἀπολωλός).  Jesus often used the 3rd person singular “Son of Man” to refer to himself.  He had come to seek and save the lost ones, not the righteous people.  Luke was the only synoptic with this story of Zacchaeus.  How do you seek out the lost ones?

Jesus came to John to be baptized (Mk 1:9-1:9)

“In those days,

Jesus came

From Nazareth

Of Galilee.

He was baptized

By John

In the Jordan River.”

 

Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἦλθεν Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὑπὸ Ἰωάνου.

 

One concrete event, John the Baptist baptizing Jesus at the Jordan River, stands at the beginning of the public life of Jesus in all four of the canonical gospel accounts of Mark, chapter 1:9, Matthew, chapter 3:13, Luke, chapter 3:21, and John, chapter 1:32-34.  Even many of the historical Jesus skeptics consider the fact that John the Baptist baptized Jesus to be a real historical episode.  Mark said that in those days it came to pass (Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις) that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee (ἦλθεν Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας).  Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River (καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὑπὸ Ἰωάνου).  In this first appearance of Jesus, the first thing he did was submit to the baptism of John the Baptist.  Thus, he might have been a disciple of John.  Only Matthew and Mark indicate where he came from, although Matthew only mentioned Galilee and not Nazareth.  Jesus came with a purpose, to be baptized by John in the Jordan River.  John did not seek out Jesus.  Jesus came to him.  In Matthew, chapter 3:14-15, John was reluctant to baptize Jesus, but finally did.  There was no such discussion in any of the other gospel stories.

Jesus came to John (Mt 3:13-3:13)

“Then Jesus

Came from Galilee

To John,

At the Jordan River,

To be baptized by him.”

 

Τότε παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάνην τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ.

 

One concrete event, John the Baptist baptizing Jesus at the Jordan River, stands at the beginning of the public life of Jesus in all four of the canonical gospel accounts of Mark, chapter 1:9, Matthew, chapter 3:13, Luke, chapter 3:21, and John, chapter 1:34.  Even many of the historical Jesus skeptics consider the fact that John the Baptist baptized Jesus to be a real historical episode.  Jesus now appeared (Τότε παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς) on the scene for the first time.  He came from Galilee (ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας), where Matthew left him as a young child with his father Joseph.  Jesus came with a purpose, to see John the Baptist (πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάνην) at the Jordan River (ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην).  He wanted John the Baptist to baptize him (τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ).  John did not seek out Jesus, Jesus came to him.

Seek Yahweh (Am 5:4-5:6)

“Thus says Yahweh

To the house of Israel.

‘Seek me!

Live!

But do not seek Bethel!

Do not enter into Gilgal!

Do not cross over to Beer-sheba!

Gilgal shall surely go into exile!

Bethel shall come to nothing!

Seek Yahweh!

Live!

Otherwise,

He will break out

Against the house of Joseph,

Like fire.

It will devour Bethel,

With no one to quench it.’”

Amos has Yahweh tell the house of Israel to seek him, so that they might live. However, they were not to seek Yahweh at the religious places of the idols at Bethel or Gilgal, since nothing would come of that. They were not to go to Beer-sheba either, which was south of Judah, like a resort place. Instead, they were to seek out Yahweh, so that they could live. Yahweh was going to break out against the house of Joseph, Ephraim, and devour Bethel, the capital city, with a fire that no one could put out.

Yahweh will search for his scattered sheep (Ezek 34:11-34:12)

“Thus says Yahweh God!

‘I myself

Will search

For my sheep.

I will

Seek them out.

As shepherds seek out

Their flocks,

When they are

Among their scattered sheep,

So will I

Seek out my sheep.

I will rescue them

From all the places

To which

They have been scattered

On a day of clouds,

On a day of thick darkness.’”

Yahweh God said, via Ezekiel, that he was himself going to search out for his scattered sheep. He was going to be like the shepherds with their flocks. Just as they went looking for their lost sheep, Yahweh was going to do the same. He was going to seek out his sheep and rescue them from all the places that they had been scattered during the cloudy days of thick darkness.

Yahweh must act (Ps 10:15-10:16)

“Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer!

Seek out their wickedness until you find none!

Yahweh is king forever and ever!

The nations shall perish from his land!”

The psalmist wants Yahweh to break the arm of the wicked ones and the evildoers. He wanted Yahweh to seek out all their wickedness until nothing was left. Yahweh was king forever. Those pagan gentile nations shall perish from the holy land of Yahweh. Yahweh’s land indicates that there were some non-Yahweh believers in Israel.