Matthew 18:11 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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

Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

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

Matthew 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

Matthew 18:13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which 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 "Take heed that ye despise not one..." into verse 12's "How think ye 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.