Saving The Lost

Luke 19: 1-10

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

⁸ 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.”

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The story of Zacchaeus gives us hope.  Who among us is not without sin, flaw, in need of renewal, a remake, or even a "rebirth"? Traces of this tax collector course through our veins to some degree, buried by a lukewarm, complacent, self-satisfied  opinion of ourselves.  Zacchaeus, for all his misdoings, had enough curiosity, desire, energy to climb a tree simply for a view of Jesus. His enthusiastic willingness to change his ways simply because Jesus asked to dine with him, shows a seeking and willing heart, so much on the verge of conversion that it took only a brief sentence to push him "over the top."  Can we imagine the conversation at the meal, and perhaps many afterwards?  Can we imagine meeting Zacchaeus when, through God's grace we get to heaven? Following his willingness to change will get us there too.  What do I have to do today to be "a new me"? Jesus came to save the "lost," so we have no excuse.  Let's think well on it.

Bro Rene