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Scripture Speaks: The Lost Have Been Found

In Jericho, a man climbs a tree seeking Jesus, but who is

seeking whom?

Rather than get angry with their judgment of

him, he spoke directly to Jesus:
Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I
shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted
anything from anyone, I shall repay it four
times over.

Jesus was passing through Jericho,

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He encountered a man, Zaccheus,

who was a chief tax collector and also
a wealthy man.

We can see that something profound happened in him

between the time he climbed up the tree and the time
he came down.
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We know that religious Jews despised tax collectors

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for their traitorous work (on behalf of the Roman

government).
Tax collectors often got rich through extortion,
piling up dishonest gain for themselves.
No wonder no one was willing to make way for
Zaccheus (as he eagerly sought to see who Jesus
was.)

What did he know about the Lord to make him so

determined not to miss a chance to see Him?
At the very least, he must have heard that
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Jesus was a remarkable miracle-worker (and

maybe even more than that).
Recall that when
o Jesus asked the disciples, Who do men
say that the Son of Man is? (see Mt
16:13),
o there were all sorts of answersElijah,
Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

Zaccheus wanted to see for

himself the One who created all
this buzz.

This beautiful story reminds us

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Jesus knew him by namealreadyand

He wanted a face-to-face visit with him.

Surely Zaccheus never expected this kind of
miracle.
Perhaps he hoped to see Jesus heal someone
or drive out a demon.
Instead, he discovered that Jesus knew
him, saw his determination, and invited
Himself for a visit.
Its a wonder Zaccheus didnt fall out of that
tree.
He came down quickly and received Him
with joy.
For such an obvious sinner to be singled out
for a visit by Jesus was beyond remarkable.
Zaccheus could hardly wait for this
encounter.

The crowd outside, however, wasnt so happy.

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They grumbled about Jesus, saying He has gone

to stay at the house of a sinner.
Zaccheus must have heard their muttering.

of something religious people often forget.

Jesus came to save sinners, not condemn
them.

The Churchs work of evangelism must constantly

preserve this reality.

When Jesus passed by, the little man got quite a shock:
Jesus looked up and said, Zaccheus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.

A man seeking merely to see Jesus out of

curiosity discovered that Jesus was
seeking him.
As a result, he had an instant conversion,
the first fruit of which was serious, active
repentance for his sin.
He was convicted this way when he
perceived Jesus willingness to overlook
his sin for the sake of a visit.
Zaccheus was exactly the kind of man for
whom Jesus searched as He preached about
the Kingdom of God: For the Son of
Man has come to seek and to save the
lost.

Sinners need to hear something about Jesus

o that stirs up their curiosity,
o to hear the Good News of Gods
love and desire for them first.
o When they understand this and step
into its joyous truth, then they are
ready to keep the rules of
sanctity.
They discover, in their conversion, that the
rules are actually the path to happiness,
but they cannot see this while they are still
blinded by sin.

They must first see Jesus;

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when they know He sees and loves them,

they are ready for a change.
Zaccheus, after Jesus looked up at him in the
tree and spoke his name,
was happy to be generous with his wealth
and to make amends for all his dishonesty.

Yes, Jesus comes to stay with sinners,

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just as the crowd outside Zaccheus house

grumbled,
but the sinner is never the same.
The lost has been found.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, when I encounter an

obvious sinner, my first reaction is to scold. Help me
instead share Your love with sinners hungry for it.