Good Morning Friends,
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a “sinner.”’ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘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.’ Jesus said 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 19:1-10)
Why did Jesus come to the earth?
That is an easy question to answer because Jesus provided the clear answer Himself. He came to seek and save the lost. That was the purpose of Jesus’ coming. It was the goal of God’s decision to send Him. Zacchaeus provides a great example of Jesus fulfilling His purpose.
Zacchaeus was lost. His sinful ways were obvious. The people knew Zacchaeus was a sinner. He had cheated people in his role as a tax collector. He had become a puppet of the Roman government that was oppressing the people of Israel. But the truth is, though the sins of some are less obvious, all of us are sinners just like Zacchaeus. We are all lost.
Jesus sought Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus didn’t ask Jesus how to be saved. He didn’t invite Jesus to come to his home and speak with him. Jesus did the inviting – He told Zacchaeus He was coming to his home. Jesus did the seeking. Zacchaeus was thrilled to be able to speak with Jesus and have Him in his home. He made an effort just to see Jesus. But Zacchaeus probably felt too unworthy to invite Jesus to his home, too unworthy to be saved. The truth is that none of us comes to Jesus at our own initiation either. Jesus seeks us – He seeks us all.
When Zacchaeus was found – when he was saved – his life changed. Jesus didn’t have to require it – it was the natural response to what Jesus was doing in Zacchaeus’s life. He became generous – giving half of his wealth to the poor. He repented of his cheating – giving back four times anything he had taken wrongfully. Zacchaeus changed because of Jesus. The same thing happens to every person that comes to Jesus – our lives change. Change is the natural response to what Jesus does for us.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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