To Seek & Save
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· 9 viewsJesus came to seek and save the lost: The story of Zaccheus' response to Jesus
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Intro: I am so excited to be here with you all today! My prayer is that we continue lift up the name of Jesus, as in song, so also in study; and also that our hearts will be changed- that we will draw close to our Lord. If you have a bible, will you open it to the Gospel of Luke chapter 19.
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 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, for He was about to pass through that way. 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.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 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.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
How many of you are familiar with Zaccheus? In America, you can count on people knowing 1 thing about him- that he was short! We have a song- maybe you know it- “Zaccheus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he...”
Well, as we begin the message today, we learn a little about the context of this account. Luke tells us that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and he was passing through Jericho.
Now, you and I need to understand that this is not just information for our geography- Luke is letting us know that Jesus is on His way to the cross.
He is on His way to bear the sins of mankind so that we could be saved from the penalty of our sins. But Jesus, understanding His destination, does not lose sight of His mission, which we see stated in
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
It is with this in mind, that we look at the person of Zaccheus.
Who was Zaccheus? (Luke 19:1-2)
Who was Zaccheus? (Luke 19:1-2)
The text gives us two problem-causing descriptions of Zaccheus:
He was a chief tax collector
We need to understand that, at this time, Rome was the ruling government. The Jews had no political authority and were subject to the oppressive rule of wicked Roman rulers. The Romans would employ Jews to collect taxes from their own people to pay to the government. These tax collectors would tend to overcharge the Jews and pad their own pockets with it.
The Jews especially would consider tax collectors to be sinners- ungodly, unjust, treasonous people.
Even in the parable from , the tax collector himself confessed to be a sinner
He was rich.
Now, you may wonder why I would say that ‘rich’ was a problem. Here’s the thing: most people who are rich because of their love for money. Jesus said you cannot serve God and money ()
Again, Luke has recorded a parable in the previous chapter about a rich young ruler who wanted to follow Jesus, but loved his money too much to forsake it. says that it is difficult for a wealthy person to enter God’s kingdom.
So, Zaccheus has been introduced as both:
A sinner- one who is far from God in his ways & with no signs of righteousness or godliness. (Strike 1)
A rich man- a man in love with his money and unlikely to place God above his wealth and comfort. (Strike 2)
This is meant to serve as an indictment against Zaccheus. Many of us, as Christians, would likely look at a modern-day Zaccheus and consider them beyond saving or simply not worth our time & effort.
He was hated by the religious people and had no real chance of ever hearing about God’s grace & forgiveness from them.
How much do you have to hate someone to refuse to share the Gospel with them?
Now we know WHO Zaccheus was. Next we ask:
What was Zaccheus Intention? ()
What was Zaccheus Intention? ()
What did he want? What did he expect?
The text tells us that he wanted to see Jesus ()
Perhaps Zaccheus had heard about Jesus- after all, just before Jesus entered Jericho, he healed a man who was blind, resulting in a crowd of people praising God and following Jesus. This commotion along with the other accounts of Jesus’ miracles would have peaked anyone’s interest. Would Jesus perform another miracle in Jericho? Would he heal someone? Cast out a demon? Rebuke the weather?
I believe Zaccheus was looking to witness something that would make a good story to tell his grand kids one day. I think that’s why he climbed the tree- he didn’t want to talk to Jesus or get involved - otherwise he could have ran into the road and yelled His name.
Maybe you can relate to Zaccheus? I know of a guy who really enjoys watching people argue. He might even do some things to insight an argument, just so he can sit back and watch. But, he has no desire to encounter any conflict. He does not want to have to consider his position or consequences of his actions. He just wants to see it.
I believe we can answer the question of Zaccheus’ intent by saying “He was looking to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he passed through” But, as we already know, Zaccheus got more than he bargained for- he got a personal encounter with Jesus.
Encounter with Jesus ()
Encounter with Jesus ()
Jesus, it seems, refused to allow Zaccheus the leisure of sitting on the sidelines and watching. He walked straight to Zaccheus and spoke- demanding a response.
You see, Jesus was doing more than making dinner plans- He was giving an invitation for this sinner, this outcast among his own people, to receive God. (7)
Zaccheus could have theoretically refused. He could have said, “No Jesus, I have plans already...” But what he could not do, is nothing.
He was face to face with Jesus and Zaccheus had to decide what he was going to do- deny him or receive him.
The Savior of the world has come. Jesus, God in flesh- the agent of creation stood inches away from him. He was on His way to bear the sins of the world on an old wooden cross- even the sins of Zaccheus. There, on that cross, Jesus would shed His blood so that we might stand blameless before the holy God of all. And here He was, in the very hometown of Zaccheus, stretching out His hand to the sinner- a man who was stood separated from God, destined to spend eternity in a place called hell. All he had to do was respond.
Zaccheus responded immediately and joyfully (Read , ) I believe that at that moment, the Holy Spirit opened Zaccheus’ eyes to the eternal reality that He was desperately lost. I believe that Zaccheus’ recognized that no miracle he might have hoped to see could compare to the salvation being offered to him in that moment! Hallelujah! Salvation came to Zaccheus on that day!
PRAISE God that Jesus came to seek and save the lost!
PRAISE God that Jesus came to seek and save the lost!
You see, what Jesus understood, and what you and I need to understand, is the the Gospel of Jesus Christ is GOOD NEWS for the sinner! It’s GOOD NEWS for the rich man! It’s GOOD NEWS for you and for me!
Maybe you are like Zaccheus today- you came here this morning because you were curious about this new church building or about the Americans who came. Maybe you had no intention of encountering Jesus and no desire to get involved. But friends, Jesus came to seek and save the lost! You cannot walk out of here and do nothing- you must decide how you will respond to the call of Jesus upon your life!
Will you deny Him? Or will you receive Him?
If you have not responded in faith to Jesus, I want to invite you to do so. It’s simple-
First, you must admit that you are a sinner in need of saving. says that ALL have sinned and fall short of God’s perfect standard. The penalty for sin is death
Second, you must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and accept his forgiveness for your sins. says:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Finally, Confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. says
that 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; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.