To seek and to save that which was lost

Luke 19:1-27 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Zaccheus Converted

He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. ³ Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. ⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. ⁵ When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” ⁶ And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. ⁷ When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

In today’s text there is another account of Jesus associating with a tax collector, Zaccheus. Again many who were there questioned and complained about Jesus choice to go to this man’s house. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” There was something at work in Zaccheus, he was being drawn to Jesus. The text says:   Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him.      In John 6:44, Jesus says: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”          In John 5:19 Jesus says:  "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”   So Zaccheus was being drawn by the Father and Jesus responded to what the Father was doing, He joined the Father in the work He was doing in Zaccheus. Without a word from Jesus Zaccheus is moved to change. He says: “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.”      The beginning of the perceivable change in Zaccheus is in his acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord.

In Luke 23:39-43, we read of another account of one who is changed, acknowledging Jesus as Lord.       Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” ⁴⁰ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said to Jesus, “Lord,  remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”  ⁴³ And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”       There always have been and always will be those who doubt and mock Jesus as the other criminal on the cross. There have been and will be those who grumble and complain about who the Father draws to Jesus.

Both Zaccheus and the thief on the cross began by acknowledging Jesus as Lord. That’s an indication of change in the life of a sinner being drawn to Christ.   Romans 10:9-10 says:   If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”    The confession of Jesus as Lord results in salvation. But it is not enough to merely say Jesus is Lord. The verse says: If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.   Confession of Christ is not enough, to be saved a sinner must believe. What does it say is the result of believing?    With the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness. The result of belief in Christ is righteousness. It’s not our own righteousness though but rather the righteousness of Christ. Belief in Christ brings about a discernible change in the life of a sinner. In today’s text Zaccheus  said:   “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.”    2 Corinthians 5:17 says: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Jesus says:    “Today salvation has come to this house…  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”     What of us, what are we supposed to do if we are to be like Jesus? Jesus associated with sinners, He sought the lost. He joined the Father in the work that He was doing. We too should join the Father and Jesus in their work. We too should seek the lost. In truth though we need to do more than seek the lost. It is easy to find the lost, it doesn’t really require much seeking, they are everywhere. Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost. He says: "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32) We cannot save a single sinner. Only Jesus, through the finished work of the cross can save a sinner. We are indeed called, like Jesus to seek the lost. We are called to love the unlovely, we are called to associate with the outcasts. But our love cannot save them. Our acceptance cannot save them. We are not called to seek the lost and leave them lost. We are called to be the righteousness of Christ in the world. Jesus says:  “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

When we find the lost we need to shine the light of Christ before them. It is the Father who draws sinners to Jesus. If we will shine the light of Christ into the darkness God will show us, as He did Jesus, those He is drawing. Sinners don’t need our love, acceptance and tolerance they need to be saved. That’s what Jesus came to do, that’s the Father’s will. 2 Peter 3:9 says:  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,  not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.   If we would be like Jesus, we will join Him and the Father in their work. Our love, acceptance and tolerance is not the answer for the lost. Jesus is the answer. Our love, acceptance and tolerance is our way of shinning the light into the darkness. It is how we become a revelation of Christ in and to the world. Our love cannot save them. Our love must point the to the greatest love the world has known. God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) The love of God, demonstrated through the cross of Christ.

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; Holy Spirit thank You for drawing me. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. You are Lord, I believe. Holy Spirit be my guide that I might live as Jesus lived, seeking the lost, loving and accepting them. But may I not leave them lost. May I shine the Light of Christ into the darkness, that they might see the way, that they might know You Jesus, the way the truth and the Life, the only way to the Father who draws them.   Amen