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Lion | At The Movies | Jentezen Franklin

Sunday, July 20



Key Scriptures

John 14:18-19; Romans 8:38-39; I Peter 5:8; Jeremiah 24:6-7; Isaiah 65:24; Psalm 18:6; Psalm 145:18; Psalm 91:11-12; Isaiah 41:10

The movie Lion tells the true story of Saroo Brierley, a young Indian boy separated from his family as a child and adopted by an Australian couple. It follows Saroo's lifelong search for his birth family and home, exploring themes of identity, displacement, and the deep connection to one's origins. The film highlights his emotional journey to find his biological family while embracing his adoptive family, illustrating the profound impact of both and the human need to belong.

Key Themes:

·      Longing for Home: Saroo's intense desire to reconnect with his roots and family.

·      Identity: Saroo grapples with defining his identity, balancing memories of his Indian heritage with his life in Australia.

·      Being Found: The story emphasizes the wholeness of reuniting with his birth family while valuing his adoptive family.

Introduction

Luke 15:4-6 (NIV)

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

The movie Lion depicts a child separated from his family, becoming an orphan, which reflects the broader theme of separation and feeling lost in our lives, particularly spiritually. Even within a physical family, we may experience spiritual emptiness. The German word Sehnsucht (from sehnen, “to long,” and Sucht, “anxiety; sickness; addiction”) captures a deep longing for home, beyond nostalgia, for a place possibly never visited—an innate yearning for rest.

Timothy Keller, in Prodigal God, describes “home” as a powerful influence. Many spend greatly to revisit their birthplaces, yet returning home as an adult often disappoints; places seem smaller or deteriorated. Keller notes that “home” evokes desire through sights, sounds, or smells but cannot fulfill it. Sehnsucht lacks a simple English synonym, implying profound homesickness with transcendent overtones.

We all have a God-given, God-shaped hole, an innate hunger for God. Without Him, we fill this void with unsatisfying substitutes. Yet, God searches for us, as seen in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:20, NIV): “…But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion…” This suggests God is actively looking for us, using our emptiness to draw us back.

This week, we explore recognizing areas of spiritual absence, focusing on the Good Shepherd’s efforts to find us and how we can accept Jesus’ work to fill those gaps.

Key Themes:

  • Lost But Not Forgotten: God seeks us despite our sense of being lost.
  • Adoption and Restoration: Embracing God’s efforts to restore wholeness.
  • The Power of Persistence: Persisting in seeking God to fill our spiritual voids.

Questions:

  • How does the promise of Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) help you address these feelings? (“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”)
  • How can you apply this promise to restore wholeness, even if your relationship with God is intact but certain areas feel displaced?

Lion follows five-year-old Saroo who wanders onto a train, falls asleep, and awakens thousands of miles across India, lost from his home, family, and culture. He is eventually adopted by a loving Australian couple. Twenty-five years later, with only fragmented memories, he searches for his original home and biological family.

Questions:

  • Have you ever felt like God was distant or silent?
  • What do you do during times of apparent silence? How do you fill or meet your need when feeling alone?

This film reflects God's character and grace, as He never loses sight of us. Psalm 139:7-10 illustrates this: 

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." (NIV)

David's psalm affirms that escaping God is impossible, as He is everywhere and everywhen. God is omniscient; nothing is hidden from Him. He transcends time, space, geography, and spirituality. His power reaches all, but His love drives His personal pursuit of us in our specific circumstances.

Romans 5:8 (NIV) emphasizes this: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Though we may not see God, He sees us; we are never beyond His reach. No hiding or disguise works. We are never truly lost—He knows the hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7, NIV: "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.") and cares about our wins, losses, dreams, desires, disappointments, and decisions.

Questions:

  • Have you ever felt lost? (Perhaps a past season or now—describe those feelings.)
  • What specific lies or thoughts arise when you feel forgotten? How do you rate your sense of value then?

Jesus compares His love and our value to sparrows: Luke 12:6 (NIV): "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God."

He also uses a mother's bond: Isaiah 49:15 (NIV): "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast...Though she may forget, I will not forget you!"

God knows our location and heart condition, meeting us there. Psalm 59:10 (NIV): "In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me; he will let me look in triumph on my enemies." (Hebrew qadam means to anticipate, hasten, or meet for help.)

He knows our needs before we ask and invites us:

Matthew 6:8, NIV: "Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV): "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Revelation 3:20 (NIV): "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." 

These urge us to respond to Jesus with deeper fellowship. Even when feeling lost or forgotten, Scripture reminds us of God's faithfulness and encourages trust in His presence.

Pastor Franklin concluded with the hymn Softly and Tenderly, noting we are all sinners—lost without Him—yet He yearns for reunion, sending His Son: "Come home."

Hymn Lyrics (Excerpt): Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me; see, on the portals He's waiting and watching, watching for you and for me. Come home, come home; you who are weary come home; earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home! Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, pleading for you and for me? Why should we linger and heed not his mercies, mercies for you and for me?

This hymn, by Will Lamartine Thompson (1847-1909), was inspired by evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899). After rejections, Thompson published it via his own company in Sparkling Gems. On his deathbed, Moody told Thompson he'd rather have written it than anything in his life.

Adoption and Restoration

Saroo, lost from his family, was adopted by John and Sue Brierley, an Australian couple from Tasmania, after ending up in an orphanage. God provides for us in mysterious ways, often through others, addressing our deepest longings. Our genealogy traces back to Creation, through the Fall, and to the Cross, where Jesus reunites us with the Father, longing to restore us.

Romans 8:15 (NIV): "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’"

Despite Saroo’s fulfilling life—friends, dreams, and loving adoptive parents—he still felt an ache, reflecting our emptiness without God. Even in a crowd, we can feel lost. Humans crave belonging, and Christians long for their eternal home through Jesus, recognizing life’s temporality.

Psalm 68:5 (NIV): "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling." God cares for the vulnerable, watching and comforting us.

  • Question: What does God say about being forgotten or forsaken?

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV): "…God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’"

Ephesians 1:5 (NIV): "He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." God’s love-driven plan adopts us as family, not servants, through faith in Jesus, who redeemed us at the Cross.

Saroo reunited with his mother, sister Shekila, and brother Kallu after 25 years. His mother, post-loss, sent her other children to school, who became a schoolteacher and factory manager. The movie underscores our need for each other.

  • Question: Is there someone you need to restore a relationship with, lost to unforgiveness or bitterness? Bring this to God and seek healing.

God restores. His desired relationship with us models pursuing healthy connections with others. Saroo’s journey—confronting his past, guilt, and finding healing—parallels our need to seek forgiveness from God and others. God provides through others’ encouragement, support, or companionship when we feel abandoned. Once restored, we should extend Jesus’ love to others.

The movie conveys we need one another. Open your heart to God; He will provide, often through others. Be His hands and feet to those in need.

The Power of Persistence

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Like Saroo, we can find ourselves lost, crying out for familiarity, unaware of how far we are from our true home. Lionshows that, despite settling into a new life, a deep longing for “home” persists. For Christians, this reflects an innate desire for a relationship with the Lord, our true home. We are encouraged to hold onto this desire and seek God, as promised in Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV): "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Saroo’s miraculous reunion with his family after 25 years testifies to this truth, showing that persistent seeking can lead us home.

  • How has persistence in seeking God led to breakthroughs or reunions in your life?

Bring these deep heart desires to Him. Don’t stop seeking what is lost, they will be found through Him!

Conclusion

John 14:6 (NIV): Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

At the end of the movie, Saroo finally finds his family in an emotional reunion with his birth mother and sister. He pieces together his life, achieving the wholeness he sought. This mirrors spiritual reconciliation with our Heavenly Father. Yielding every part of our lives to the Lord brings the peace Paul describes:

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, NIV). 

It is the wholeness only God provides.

No matter how lost you may be, you are never too lost for God to find you. He knows your location now, calling you as the Good Shepherd to carry you home on His shoulders. God continually invites us home, even in life’s eleventh hour. Only our unwillingness to respond separates us. Whether you’ve never accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, or accepted Him as Savior but withheld areas preventing full Lordship, today is the time to let Him fill those gaps, answer questions, and remove uncertainty.

Call to Action

  • Identify areas where you are far from God or have excluded Him.
  • Commit to seek the Lord, especially in those places.
  • Trust Jesus to lead you back to the Father’s house.
  • Apply God’s promises and love’s power to overcome separation.
  • Pray that Jesus would fill those holes or gaps with His presence.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for Your incredible love for us that knows no bounds. A love that seeks us and pursues us. A love that was willing to do whatever it took to make a way for our return to You. That You demonstrated Your love for us in this way: “…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV). We pray that You would reveal in us any areas of our lives that we have drifted away from You. Empower us by Your Spirit to return home to You and experience the wholeness that comes from a restored walk and a reunion with You. Help us to pursue You with passion as You pursue us with unlimited love and passion. In Your Holy Name Jesus, we pray. Amen.

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