Matthew 18:11 (DRB)

Passage

For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:9 And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Matthew 18:10 See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Matthew 18:12 What think you? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray: doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and goeth to seek that which is gone astray?

Matthew 18:13 And if it so be that he find it: Amen I say to you, he rejoiceth more for that, than for the ninety-nine that went not astray.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "come", "save", and "lost". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "come" and "save", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "See that you despise not one of..." into verse 12's "What think you If a man have...", so "come" and "save" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "come" and "save" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.