Saturday, March 23, 2013

WHY HE CAME

Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

   ON HIS WAY TO JERUSALEM, where crucifixion awaited him, Jesus stopped in Jericho for a divine appointment. As he walked past a sycamore tree, he looked up and saw a man named Zacchaeus in the branches, where he had climbed to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus called to Zacchaeus and asked to stay at his home. The request was shocking to the townspeople, for Zacchaeus was well known in the region, not merely as a tax collector but as the chief tax collector. He was wealthy, and his wealth had come by collecting more taxes than was due. Watching Jesus, the people grumbled and said, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner” (Luke 19: 7 NRSV).

   But notice the response of Zacchaeus. Dumfounded by Jesus’ request, he decided on the spot to give half his possessions to the poor and promised to return anything he had wrongfully taken from others. And note what Jesus said to the crowd that day: “The Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 19: 10 NRSV).

   I have asked my congregation to memorize that verse. It captures the heart and ministry of Jesus the way few other words do. He said that the reason he came— his purpose— was to look for and offer deliverance to people who have strayed from God’s path.

   We in the church sometimes forget this. If the church is the body of Christ, as Paul taught, then its primary purpose must be to “seek out and to save the lost.” Jesus didn’t do that by preaching at Zacchaeus. He didn’t share a gospel tract. Instead Jesus asked Zacchaeus if he could have supper at his house. He befriended Zacchaeus, in spite of knowing that the townsfolk would consider it a scandal.

   How would your church do things differently if its primary mission was to “seek out and to save the lost?” Who are the people you are building friendships with who are non-Christian or nominally Christian? Is there anyone you believe God wishes you to invite for worship in the next few weeks?

Lord, help me find ways to befriend and share my faith with people like Zacchaeus, and to be used by you to help others see your light and love. Amen.

Adam Hamilton, The Way: 40 Days of Reflection: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus .