June 28, 2026

If someone asked you, “What is God’s greatest concern?” how would you answer? You might say holiness. Or perhaps prayer, worship, righteousness, or even building the Church. All of these matter deeply to God. Yet when you read the Gospels carefully, you discover something surprising. Beneath every miracle, every conversation, and every journey, you find one recurring theme: God’s unwavering concern for the lost. Jesus’ life and ministry show us that God is deeply concerned about bringing lost people back into a relationship with Himself. He spent much of His time pursuing people whom others had written off. Again and again, He sought out the lost, welcomed them, and invited them into a restored relationship with God. The parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son all emphasize God’s passionate concern for the lost. This concern is so central that Jesus described His entire mission with these words: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). So the question is, why is God so concerned about the lost? To answer that question, we first need to understand who the lost are. Who Are the Lost? When people hear the word lost, some immediately think of criminals, prostitutes, immoral people, or those living far from God. But Jesus had a much broader definition. In His eyes, a person is lost because they are separated from God, not simply because they have committed obvious sins. Luke 15 introduces us to two different kinds of lost people. The Far Lost The younger son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son represents those who have wandered far from God (Luke 15:11–24). He rejected his father, left home, wasted everything he had, and eventually found himself hungry, broken, and alone. His lostness was obvious. Many people today identify with this son. They know they have made mistakes. They know they need forgiveness. They know they need God. The Near Lost The older brother is different. He never left home. He worked hard. He was outwardly obedient but inwardly distant. Although he was physically close to his father, his heart was far away. When his brother returned, he became angry instead of joyful. He did not understand his father’s compassionate love for his wayward brother, and therefore could not share his father’s joy when that broken relationship was restored. The parable portrayed him as resentful. He became angry and refused to go in (Luke 15:28). Jesus told this story because the religious leaders were criticizing Him for welcoming sinners (Luke 15:1–2). They believed God cared more about rule-keeping than restoring people. The older brother represents those who may know Scripture, live morally respectable lives, attend church, or faithfully practice their religion, yet fail to live in alignment with God. Like the older brother, they may be close to the father’s house but far from the father’s heart. Their outward devotion masks an inward distance from God, showing that they, too, are lost. God’s Heart Is to Restore, Not Reject Luke 15 contains three powerful stories: a shepherd searching for one lost sheep, a woman carefully looking for one lost coin, and a father joyfully welcoming home his lost son. Although each story is different, they all reveal the same truth about God’s heart. God does not give up on people who are lost. He seeks them and longs to bring them back into a relationship with Himself. These parables show us a God who takes the initiative, not one who waits passively for people to find their way back. Jesus concludes the parables by saying that there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7, 10). Think about that. Heaven celebrates every time someone who was separated from God returns to Him. That tells us something important about God’s heart. He is not looking for opportunities to condemn people; He is working to restore them. His greatest desire is not to drive people away because of their past, but to welcome them home to a new life. Why Is God So Passionate About Restoring People? God’s heart is to build a family. The Bible begins with humanity living in close fellowship with God as one family, but sin shattered that relationship. From that moment on, the story of the Bible is the story of a loving Father reaching out to bring people back to Himself. This is the thread that runs through the entire Bible and reaches its fullest expression in Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come merely to establish a new religion or give people a better moral code. He came to make reconciliation with God possible. That is why He spent so much time with tax collectors, sinners, and social outcasts. It wasn’t because He approved of their sinful lifestyles, but because He loved them too much to leave them separated from the Father. Everything Jesus said and did pointed people back to God. God Is the Master Evangelist Many believers think evangelism begins with us. The Bible tells a different story. Evangelism begins with God. Long before anyone starts looking for Him, God is already at work in their life. Throughout the Gospels, we see Him taking the initiative again and again. Jesus sought out Zacchaeus before Zacchaeus truly understood who He was (Luke 19:1–10). He called His disciples before they ever imagined following Him. He intentionally met the Samaritan woman at the well before she realized her deepest need was for the living water only He could give (John 4). Jesus made this truth even clearer when He said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). God is always the One who makes the first move. He prepares hearts, creates opportunities, and draws people to Himself. He is the One working behind the scenes long before we arrive. This changes the way we think about evangelism. God’s work does not begin with us. He is already at work. Our role