Text: “Today salvation has come to this house…For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:9, 10).
What is salvation? Salvation means deliverance from some type of evil. The evil can be real or spiritual. Jesus is talking about a type of salvation whereby He liberates man from anything that might prevent him from enjoying the highest blessing God has in store for him.
What are some of the things keeping man from enjoying all the blessings God has in store for him? Man is not able to enjoy God’s blessings if he is involved in adultery, uncleanness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, jealousy, envy, murder, drunkenness and so forth. These things are works of the flesh promoted by the devil himself.
The practice of these things will prohibit entrance into the kingdom of God. God’s Word says, “Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21).
God wants us to spend eternity with Him, so he offers us special qualities. He offers us the “Fruit of the Spirit.” What is the “fruit of the Spirit?”
“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22, 23).
God knows man has a sinful nature, which came upon him because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Since that time, every person born is born with a sinful nature. Temptation is always before man. Temptation was set before Jesus on three separate occasions, but He did not yield to it.
Temptation itself is not a sin. Sin occurs when man yields to the temptation. Since each of us has a sinful nature and temptation is around us, we make wrong choices resulting in sin.
There is no way we can live the way God, the Father, wants us to live if we do not live by the words in red. In order to live by the words in red, we have to accept the One who said those words. Jesus gives each of us that opportunity.
Our Scripture says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). The Son of Man is Jesus Christ.
Whom was Jesus seeking?
Whom did He come to save?
Who was lost?
Jesus seeks each one of us because we are all sinners. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We all fall short, but this is not God’s plan for our life. He did not create us to be victims, but He did create us to be victors.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 623).
God did not create us to be slave to sin. He does not want us to pay the price of a sinful death simply because we failed to be acquainted with the righteous life that is within our reach.
Therefore, God sent His Son into the world to shine in the darkness cracks and crevices of humankind. God’s light can show each one of us the sins in our life. Our eyes open to view a greater horizon when His light exposes our sins.
Jesus came to save people living in the dark shadows of sin. He came to deliver them from a life of sin and to show them how to embark upon a new divine type of life.
God’s love is so great for humankind that “He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
If we truly love someone, we will do everything we can for that person. We will give all we have so the person can have whatever they want or need. A husband and wife have the utmost concern and care for each other. When either of them hurts, the other feels that hurt.
Parents are protective of their children and want the best for them. They make sacrifices for their wants and needs. These parents want their children to have what they did not have. This could be love, understanding, fellowship, attention or a feeling of importance.
God seeks people in various stages of their life. He appears to the person who starts and ends each day with a glass or bottle of some alcoholic beverage.
He stands before the individuals who depend on pills for their existence. He is beside the person who constantly injects narcotics into their body.
God is watching the individual who is cheating or taking advantage of someone. He is observing the man or woman as they break their marriage vows.
God is seeking all those who are not looking up to Him as their source. He is seeking those who believe in their heart they are in control of their life. He is seeking those focused on what the world has to offer instead of what He has in store for them.
God is seeking people who are hurting physically, mentally or morally. He is seeking the one who has the feeling of loneliness. He is seeking the poor, the hungry, the thirsty and the one in prison.
God is seeking these people because they may or may not know they are lost. No one likes to be lost, but many people do not realize they are lost. Many do not recognize the sin in their life. God is looking for these people.
Our Scripture reading talks about a man by the name of Zacchaeus. Jesus was looking for Zacchaeus, but Zacchaeus had to put for a little effort on his own. He wanted to see Jesus.
Zacchaeus was a Jew and his occupation was that of a tax collector. Tax collectors were not popular people. They were not popular because collecting taxes made them wealthy. Wealth came about because the tax collectors collected more that what was due them.
Zacchaeus was not just the average tax collector, but he was the “…chief tax collector” (v. 2). Although the tax collectors were Jews, they worked for the Roman government. Their authority gave them an opportunity to collect more taxes. The additional taxes collected made them wealthy. Zacchaeus was a wealthy chief tax collector or publican.
Have you ever thought about why Zacchaeus was so determined to see Jesus? I believe he felt something was missing in his life. He was materially sound, but his heart was missing something.
Jesus told the rich young ruler: “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23). Jesus’ words are eye-opening words. They leave nothing to the imagination. They are definite.
Upon hearing these words, Zacchaeus realized a change had to come about in his life. Riches are only sinful when they come between you and Almighty God. I do not know that Zacchaeus heard these words but there is that possibility.
There is also the possibility that Zacchaeus knew Jesus attracted large numbers of people, which made him popular among them. Most of us have a desire to see popular people or people who stand out as being widely known. Zacchaeus wanted to see this person named Jesus.
Zacchaeus was lost in the crowd because of his stature. He was a small short person compared to all the other people present. On the other hand, Jesus, too, was lost in the crowd because there were so many people around Him. People on the outside of the crowd had a difficult time seeing Jesus.
Is it possible to be lost and not know it? Can we be lost worldly and not know it? Listen to this little story:
In the timber mountains of the Northwest, a five-year-old was lost. Night came. The citizens and rangers were searching the caves and mountainsides for him. Snow began to fall. All night the snow laid its blankets, but no Bobby could be found.
The next morning the sun came out, and the storm ceased. A weary father decided to come in for a cup of coffee, and when he was within half a mile of home he kicked against what seemed to be a log in the path, but when the snow was jarred a small boy stretched, yawned, sat up from under his snow blankets, and exclaimed, “Oh, Daddy! I’ve found you at last.”
Who was lost and who found whom?
Mortals have an inherited phrase – “So-and-so found the Lord.” However, the Lord has never been lost! Men talk about the search for God. He has asked us to search the Scriptures and to seek His will, but when it comes to salvation, it is God who reaches out for us.
-----------------Conqueror
The little boy was lost, but did not know he was lost. Many people this day are spiritually lost and do not know they are lost. They are living according to worldly standards and not considering about where they will spend eternity.
Zacchaeus was a very wealthy man, but something tells me he realized a void in his life. I do not believe he knew what Jesus would or could do for him. All he wanted to do was get sight of Jesus and to do that, Zacchaeus had to rise above the crowd.
Consequently, he ran ahead of the crowd, saw a sycamore tree and decided this is where he would perch himself. The sycamore tree was considered an “unclean” tree because its’ fruit was fed to the pigs. Since he was a Jew, why would he climb an unclean tree? I do not think Zacchaeus thought about it at the time, but he was giving up his pride to come to the Lord.
As Jesus and the crowd moved through the streets of Jericho, they came to the place of the sycamore tree where Zacchaeus waited to see Jesus. Jesus looked up into the tree and saw Zacchaeus. He said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5).
This must have been a real shock to the crowd because Jesus was talking to an individual who had cheated so many people. The truth of the matter is Jesus loves everyone. He may not like or He may not agree with their way of life, but He loves them.
Whenever a person does something wrong in life or wanders of the straight and narrow path of life, Jesus is seeking that person to save them from living an unhappy miserable life. Those people who listen to the Word of God out of curiosity are like Zacchaeus.
Jesus called Zacchaeus to come forth. Zacchaeus did not hesitate when Jesus called him. He responded to Jesus’ invitation. Jesus’ calling opened his eyes, made his heart receptive, and gave him a new outlook on life. From that point, Zacchaeus’ life was never the same.
That very thing is going on today. There are many people who are lost and do not realize it. Some do know there is something missing in their life, but do not know how to find that missing element.
People don’t have to wait for Jesus to return in order to have their curiosity satisfied. They don’t have to look for a tree to climb to get a better view of Jesus. Jesus is present with each one of us all the time. He is calling out to those who are lost, but His words fall upon deaf ears.
He speaks to their heart, but their heart seems to be hard and unreceptive. He provides preachers, teachers and many fine Christians with the ability and willingness to share His Word. He stands at the door of their heart knocking and knocking. If they will open and invite Him to come and live within their heart, their life will never be the same.
Conclusion:
There are spiritually lost people. Some realize they are lost while some do not give it a second thought. There are people like Zacchaeus who are wealthy and seem to have all life has to offer. Some people are curious about the “words in red.” Some want to know more about Jesus, but do not seem to know what route to take.
Some people claim to have religion. Zacchaeus had religion. However, there is more than religion. There is a better life beyond religion.
Story: “Life Better Than Religion”
Jesus came into the world not to establish a religion, but to give life. In the Gospel of John the word “life” occurs forty-four times, and the word “religion” not once.
Dr. Scofield once had occasion to tell a young minister that he did not believe he ever had been born again. In astonishment the young man said, “Why, I got religion ten years ago at such a place.”
“That is interesting,” the older minister answered; “and while you were getting religion, why didn’t you get saved?”
“Why, isn’t getting religion getting saved? Didn’t Jesus come to bring religion?”
“No. He Himself tells us why he came; ‘I am come that they might have life.’”
The conversation led to the two men kneeling in prayer, and the young minister accepted Christ as his personal Savior in a real way.
---------------Sunday School Times
When Zacchaeus stood before Jesus, he said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8).
Jesus’ response to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:9, 10).
Jesus is still seeking and His salvation is open to all who will “make haste” and accept Him.
Amen.
