Jesus finds us because He is the God of intervention and the Good Shepherd. As we review the Scriptures, it becomes evident that we don’t find the Lord as some may think, but it is always the Lord who finds us.
To illustrate this, Jesus told parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Luke 15:3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?[1]
The Bible often compares believers to sheep because we need a Shepherd, are defenseless, and get lost easily. In the story after the lost sheep, a woman loses a coin and searches until she finds it. A coin can’t find itself; the same is true for us. Finally, Jesus tells the story of a lost son, where the son comes to his senses, realizes his sin, and returns home to ask his father to forgive him. The work of the Holy Spirit opens our eyes. He enables us to come to our senses and so we are drawn to the cross of Jesus. If you believe in Jesus as your Savior, it is because Jesus drew you to himself.
Jesus Finds Philip
As Jesus began His ministry, He called people to faith, and a few He called to be His disciples, with Philip being one of them. John 1:43 The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.[2]
It is always Jesus who calls us to follow Him, and not the opposite. Jesus is the one who searches for us. When Adam and Eve fell into sin, they hid from God, but the Lord searched for them because He is the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd looks for His sheep even when they do something wrong and try to hide.
We come to the Lord because He is the one who draws us to Himself. John 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day, I will raise them up.[3] People may think they found God because it may seem that way, but it is always the work of the Holy Spirit to draw us to Jesus.
God Pursues Us
The Holy Scriptures command us to pursue God and promise we will find him when we do. Jeremiah 29:13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.[4] But Scripture tells us that God initiates those spiritual pursuits. Psalm 53:2 God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise if anyone seeks God. [5]
The Bible is God’s love story of how He pursues us and intervenes in our lives so we can fulfill His plans for us. Jesus pursued Philip, who would later become a disciple because that was God’s plan for his life, and to do so took His intervention. That same God pursued Philip also pursues us.
To learn how Jesus finds us, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/from-johns-disciples-to-jesus
[1-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.