“May I help you?” asked the officer behind the desk, in a bored but polite tone.

“I hope so,” answered the man standing before him.  “I’d like to report a missing person.”

“Name?”

“Bill. Bill Jones.”

“How long has Mr. Jones been missing?” asked the policeman.

“Oh, sorry officer.  That’s my name.  I’m Bill, er, William.  William Jones.  It’s my boss who’s missing.”

“What’s your boss’ name, Mr. Jones?”

“You’ll find it right there on the form.  I started filling it out while I was waiting, but didn’t get very far, officer—?”

“Smith.  Sergeant Smith.  Let’s start with the subject’s appearance.  How tall is he?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, is he taller or shorter than me?”

“He’s probably about average, I guess.”

“You guess?”  The sergeant shook his head.  Approximately how much does he weigh?”

“Gosh, I really couldn’t say.”

“Well,” said the desk sergeant, becoming annoyed,  “does he have a light, medium or heavy build?”

“Again, I’m not too sure,” replied Jones.

The sergeant looked up and squinted sideways at the complainant.  “Let’s start over” he suggested.  “What does this fellow look like?  How would you describe him?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t. I mean, I couldn’t.  I’ve never seen him.”

“You work for the man, but you’ve never seen him?” inquired the sergeant, raising an eyebrow.

“Right.  Nobody has, so far as I know.  At least, nobody alive today.”

“Rough character, then” stated the officer, typing something into his computer.  “Is he dangerous?  Violent?  Has he threatened you or others?”

“No, no, nothing like that.  If anything, I’d say he tries to protect me.  His orders are to stay near him, so we don’t get separated.  He doesn’t want his enemy to get me.  He’s warned like a million times that that guy is nothing but a liar and a thief and a murderer.  Taking his path is a dead end—literally.”

“So, he does have enemies?” pressed the sergeant.

“In high places, yes,” affirmed Jones. “They’re Legion.  And very powerful.”

“Could one of them have grabbed your boss or have done something to him?” asked Sergeant Smith.  “I mean, do you suspect foul play?”

“From them?  Always,” said Jones.  “But the boss doesn’t seem the slightest bit concerned for his safety or mine.  He acts like, ‘Don’t be afraid, I’ve got this. Just stick with me and you’ll be fine.’ If he’s not worried, why should I be?”

“What about your boss’ mental state?” inquired the officer.  “Have you noticed any changes in his mood or behavior—anything out of the ordinary?  Has he been stressed or depressed lately?  Is there any possibility of self harm?”

“Him?  You’ve got to be kidding.  Anybody acquainted with him will tell you what they’ve told me—he’s the most stable person they know.  They talk about this peace that he has, how nothing ever seems to surprise or rattle this guy—”

“There must be someone who has a photo of your boss or could provide a physical description,” Sergeant Smith interrupted.

“No one I know of…” Jones replied.

“Then how do you know he exists?” demanded the sergeant.

“I sort of follow him from time to time.  When I do, I see signs that he’s been there.  I keep running into people who claim that he’s changed their lives.  He was there all right, but I just missed him, they say.  Oh, they’re fiercely loyal to him.  They’d rather die than betray him.”

“Uh-huh.  When was the last time you saw him? Sorry.  I forgot.  You say you’ve never seen him.”  Sergeant Smith rolled his eyes.

“No, I haven’t. But I feel like I’ve come close a few times.  Once, I was hot on his trail and I found a note he had written and left behind for anyone who might be trying to follow him.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” said the Sergeant, sitting up straighter, attentive once more.  “What did he write?  What was the message?”

“It was kind of cryptic, I guess you might say.  The note said, ‘Where the master is, there will his servant be also.’ ”

“What did that mean to you?  What was your boss trying to say?”

“At first, I thought he might be hinting at where I might look for him.  You know, ‘Think, Jones!  Where would I be likely to go or to do?  Figure that out and you’ll find me.’ ”

“Sounds logical,” opined Sergeant Smith.  “Did you give that a try?”

“Several times.”

“How did it work out?”

“Blind alley, I’m afraid.  The trail always seemed to go cold, just as I was closing in.  I thought I’d caught a glimpse once or twice, but then I realized that I must be mistaken.  My boss is a very important man.  Men of his sort seldom waste their time with the riffraff.  And, he’s a pretty moral guy, too, if you know what I mean.  Very traditional.  He did not seem the type to go into some of these places or to associate with people of that kind.  I know I never would.”

“So, you’ve given up, then?” asked the sergeant.

“Obviously not, or I wouldn’t be here,” observed Jones, dryly.

“Obviously,” conceded Smith.  “Look, with all due respect, Mr. Jones, you haven’t given me much to go on.  You can’t show me a photograph or give me a physical description.  You can’t work with a sketch artist because you’ve never seen the missing person.  You couldn’t pick him out of a lineup.  You haven’t even indicated that you care about your boss.  May I ask why you’re bothering to look for him?”

“I don’t know that I’ve ever really thought about that.  Isn’t that interesting?  Wow. Now that you mention it, we’re really not all that close.  I suppose I’d have to say that it’s mainly the reward, then” admitted Jones.

“Reward!” snorted the sergeant.  “What reward?  This is the first time you’ve said anything about a reward.”

“Yes, well his father is incredibly wealthy, I understand—he owns like, everything.  He’s promised to honor and reward anybody who serves his son.  But, I’ve got to nail down his location, first.  He seems to move around quite a bit.  He’s like the wind—you never know which direction he may take next.”

“I’d like to be helpful, Mr. Jones, but…”  The sergeant paused for a moment, scratching his chin.  “Look here. In my experience, the best thing to do in situations like this is to construct a profile.”

“A profile?”

“Yes—as detailed and accurate a picture of the subject’s occupation, hobbies, character, personality and habits, as you can.  The better you know someone, really know them, the easier it is to predict their movements and the easier they are to find.  How long would it take you to assemble everything you know about this person, his interests, known associates, regular routines and so on?”

“Not long, I fear,” moaned Jones.  “Come to think of it, I haven’t learned all that much about him.  At this point, it’s hard to say just WHO he is.”

“What do you want from ME, then?” asked the sergeant, sounding tired of the conversation.

“I was hoping you could turn up some clues,” said Mr. Jones.  “I sure could use one.”

“You certainly could,” Sergeant Smith agreed, with a sigh.  “A clue is just what you need.”

********

A silly story, to make a serious point:  everybody and I mean EVERYBODY needs Jesus.  He is the Good Shepherd with 100 sheep, who leaves the 99 that are safe, in loving pursuit of the one who is lost.  Today He seeks you.  Today He calls out to you, and gives you His promise: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20).

The wanderer may not know the peril he or she is in.  The Shepherd does.  That’s why Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.  He knows His Father’s nature: merciful but just, loving but holy.  Jesus knows that our sin has separated us from God and that we cannot bridge this gap.  When the hour of our death comes, our estrangement and separation from God becomes permanent, our situation hopeless. That’s why Jesus died on the cross for our sins, to pay the penalty we deserve and reconcile us to God.

God does not want to treat us as we deserve. He does not want to pay us the wages of our disobedience.  He wants instead to give us eternal life, as a free gift that we could never earn or merit. But each individual must humble himself, repent of their sin and receive this gift, trusting in Jesus to save them through the pardon He died to purchase for them with His own precious blood.

This is not a maybe, could be, should be thing. The gift is already purchased and is already held out to you:  “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  (I John 5:11-12)  Reach up to Jesus now.  Reach out for His gift.  Take it from His outstretched hand, pierced for you.  Thank Him and live.

HOW TO BE SAVED:

1. Admit to God that you are a sinner (that you have not kept His moral law to perfection; in your thoughts, words and actions you have done what His law forbids and have failed to do what His love demands).  This is seeing yourself from God’s point of view and agreeing that He is right about you.  Be as specific as you can.
2. Sincerely repent (turn away) from your sins, asking God to forgive you and to use His power to help you resist temptation, no matter how strong the pull of sin may be, at first.
3. Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord and Master of your life.  Invite Him to move into your heart and take up residence there, so that He can change you from the inside out.
4. Believe His promise to save you and give you a new spiritual birth and a new nature (thoughts, desires, priorities, hopes, dreams and character).

SOME KEY TRUTHS:

• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”  (Romans 10:9)
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you; He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)
• “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”  (I John 5:13)