It’s now December 19th. Only a few more days until Christmas. This morning I read Luke 19 and I was reminded of this: Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.
One day Jesus was entering into a town called Jericho and in Jericho there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was not liked very much because he was a tax collector for the Romans and because of that profession was seen as a traitor to his fellow Jews. This profession had made him rich because he was overcharging his fellow Jews on their taxes; another reason he was not well liked.
Anyways, he heard Jesus was in town and he did all he could do to see Jesus. However, Zachaeus was a very short individual and could not catch a glimpse of Jesus because of the crowds. So what did he do? He climbed a sycamore tree! Then, the neatest thing happened. As Jesus was passing by that sycamore tree he looked up and informed Zachaeus that he would be dining at his house that day! What do you think Zachaeus did? He hurried off that tree and the Scriptures says he “joyfull” received Jesus into his house.
However, other’s did not like this. They grumbled. They asked loads of questions. How could Jesus eat in the house of someone like Zacchaeus? Surely Jesus knew who Zaccahaeus was? Certainly Jesus understood what Zacchaeus had done to his fellow man? To his own country? Surely Jesus knew he was eating in the house of a “sinner”? And I’m sure there were more questions.
Well, something amazing happened in that house that day. Zacchaeus repented of all the wrong he had ever done to his fellow man. He told Jesus that he would give away up to half of his goods to the poor and that he was going to restore the fortunes of everyone he had ever defrauded.
The lesson of this true story is this: “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Zacchaeus was lost. Jesus sought him out and Zacchaeus was saved that day. That was Jesus’ mission. That’s Jesus mission still today. Jesus came to search for sinners and he came to rescue them. Rescue them from what? Sin. More specifically, the consequences of sin, which is hell.
God loves you. We know this because God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save you, not condemn you. Jesus came into the world for one purpose: to save sinners. It doesn’t matter what your sin is, the grace of God is greater than your sin. Just like Zacchaeus, you too can be saved. How? Repent of your sins. That means to turn away from a sinful lifestyle. Then, confess that Jesus is Lord. That means to confess that you are surrendering to God’s will for your life, which is far better than your will for your life (I promise). And believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. God says in His word that if you repent of your sin, confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.