Jesus Seeks and Saves

Jesus Seeks and Saves

Luke 19:1-10

July 10, 2011 @ Christ Community

Introduction

Please open your Bible to Luke 19:1-10. Today, our passage is the famous encounter with Zacchaeus and Jesus. We like Zacchaeus. I mean he even has a kid’s song which forever cartoonizes him. We like Zacchaeus because he was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. We like the little guy, we root for the little guy. And he wanted to see Jesus, but he was vertically challenged, he was too short. Yet, he used his clever wit and climbed a tree. And then, Jesus saw him and he had Jesus over at his house for a meal. What’s not to like about this rotten, dirt crook who steals from the poor and keeps it for himself.

This is a familiar story. It has been “Disney-ize” for masses. Today, when we examine the story, we a see a sinner, an idolater, who we can identity because we are much like him, and he is in need of a Savior much like us. By all outward appearance, he is unsaveable. His sins are too many. He is too far from God. And this Savior seeks and saves that which is lost. Let’s read our passage.

Read passage. Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And 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." 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

There are three characters in this story which we will meet: Zaccheaus, the crowd, and Jesus.

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He has his sight on the cross, to die for sins, and rise in victory over them for us. And he passes through a city named Jericho. Jericho was a significance city in the story of redemption as the Israelites marched around it seven times and by the power of God, the walls came tumbling down and they took the city. The city now was a prominent city of beauty, riches, trade and culture. Jesus is walking through the city with a large following. This is the end of His ministry and by this time He has accumulated a massive crowd with Him. He was the well-known, must-see preach of His day. His popularity was at its height. Think if like U2 came to the Marietta square. Think of the massive amount of people which would come out and see them. And as Jesus was walking on the streets, there was a man who Jesus came to seek. He is our first character and his name was Zacchaeus.

The Wee-little Crook

Zacchaeus was a man of power and wealth. He sought after these things his whole life. Now, we can identify with him, men, can’t we? If I ask, “would you rather have power or no power?” Yeah, power. How about wealth and riches? Yeah, I will take some of that. Now, power and influence is not wrong nor is riches or wealth, but for Zacchaeus it was his idol. We know this by the choices he made and how he attained his power and wealth.

Zacchaeus was the chief tax-collector. Verse 2, “He was a chief tax collector and was rich.”As some of you know, being a tax collector was not like an accountant or working for the IRS today, but it meant that you were rejecting your Jewish heritage and joining up with Rome and became a dishonest, rotten crook. And Zacchaeus was the worst. He was the chief crook tax collector. His parents were not happy about this decision, I’m sure. And the way this worked would have been that Zacchaeus started as a low-end tax-collector and as he ripped off more and more people, he would move up the chain until he was became the chief. And he lived in Jericho. And back then, it was one of the three major regional tax-centers for Roman. This left Zacchaeus a very powerful man. He was a powerful man sitting on top of a massive unethical and deceitful pyramid system. You see, he received a commission from all those who were under him plus whatever he could get for himself. Simply, he pursued his idols, gained his wealth by stealing it and leaves many poor and needy. Zacchaeus was viewed in society as the sinner of sinners, an abhorrent criminal, a stench in people’s sight and beyond friendship with others and any grace from God. He was unsaveable to society.

So, Jesus has entered into Jericho. Everybody in the town wants to see this popular preach. They are lining the street, on rooftop, and anywhere they can see Jesus. This includes Zacchaeus. The text says that Zacchaeus was “small of stature”. He’s short. He is probably mid-age and a little sleazy. We also know that he is rich and powerful. Mandy pictures him looking like Danny Devito so that’s what we will go with. So, we have this Danny Devito looking man trying to look over the crowd to see Jesus. As he moved down seeking a spot to see Jesus, there are no openings for him to squeeze into so he runs ahead of the crowd and climbs a sycamore tree. Nothing really special about that. Jericho was known for its trees which lined its streets and there were probably many children up in trees. Though, it would be totally awesome to see Danny Devito try to climb a tree.

As Zacchaeus was sitting in that tree, what happened next staggered him. Although Jesus had never met him before, He stopped in the middle of thousands of people, looked up in the tree, And here’s what he does, friends. He called him by name. Verse 5, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus”. How did Jesus know Zacchaeus name? Did the Holy Spirit supernaturally give it to him? Did Jesus hear of Zacchaeus corruptible ways? However it happened, Jesus called his name. Zacchaeus was curiously looking to see Jesus like you would if the President came to your home town, but Jesus was seeking Him and makes it personal. He calls his name. Jesus seeks this lost man out to save him to have a relationship with him.

Friends, Jesus always, always does this. He's always calling people out by name. When I was 17 years of age, he called for me, “Brian.” And by that personal invitation, followed by a letter of salvation the Holy Spirit changed by heart, changed my life, I became a Christian. Those of you who are Christian, Jesus called you. He called you by name. And Jesus still calls by name. And if you're here today and you're not a Christian, let me say this: Perhaps Jesus is calling you by name. He's calling you unto himself. He's calling you to know him. And when Jesus calls Zacchaeus, he calls him to a friendship, a relationship. He says, continuing in verse 5 “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (19:5).

One truth that has amazed me as I have studied this passage is how Jesus goes about bringing salvation to him. Jesus does it in the way Zacchaeus most needed and longed for. He friended him, and wants to hang out with him over a meal. Now this might not matter as much to you, but it mattered so much to Zacchaeus. You can see this in his response, v6, “So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.”

Because of Zacchaeus’ choice of job, a tax-collector, personal character, and being rich, Zacchaeus didn’t have any friends. Zacchaeus was lonely. His money bought him loneliness. He couldn’t buy a friend. He lived alone, ate alone, drove alone, sleep alone, and work alone. When the crowds heard what Jesus did, they grumbled. There were no shout and smiles. No “good-for-Zacchaeus”. No one, not even someone, was happy for Zacchaeus. He didn’t have any friends… until now. Jesus friends him. Jesus seeks him in the way he needed to be. Yes, soon after, Zacchaeus must and will see Jesus as more than a friend, as Savior, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Sovereign, the Creator, but Jesus engages Him first with friendship.

In your relationship with non-Christians, do you know where you can enter into their lives? Where Jesus would meet them best? It is the place where their need is both sore and sensitive. Jesus invites Zacchaeus into a relationship/friendship, a place no doubt that was filled with loneliness and longing, so that He could know He was His Savior as well. If you don’t how to engage somebody like Jesus did, ask Him, pray to Him and he will show you and guide you.

That’s awesome! Isn’t He? Jesus is awesome. But, the crowds didn’t think that was awesome.

The Religious Crowd

“Zacchaeus come down from that tree” Jesus said. “I’m coming over. I want to be your friend. I want to know you and I’m seeking you to save you!” Zacchaeus rejoiced. The crowds did not. They are our second character in the story. Maybe you can identify with them. They begin grumbling. The whole crowd grumbled. They were like “Jesus, you must be mistaken. You’re talking to a crook. Nobody talks to him. He is a loser.” This reveals the crowd doesn’t understand grace. Does that wee-little dirty, crook need to clean up his act and pay us back first, and then he can be saved and be friends with Jesus. They didn’t understand grace. They are a religious crowd.

Last fall, on several occasions, the weekend would come and Mandy and I would attend social gatherings hosted by friends who were Christians. And at these gatherings there were Christians there, and … non-Christians as well. I wanted to get to know the people I didn’t already and most of them were the non-Christians there. Well, the majority of the time, we would talk about life and stuff. And most of the time I left so frustrated with these non-Christians. Don’t they know they aren’t supposed to be living together as a couple, and not be married? They just need to stop that because it is wrong and unloving and they are going to hurt each other. I had a “moral barrier” as Jerram Barrs puts it. Maybe you have thought something like that? Something which keeps you away from people in general and non-Christians in particular. Is it a moral, social, ethnical, or religious barrier? What barrier and who is it? Which sinner have you not called out but only grumbled about?

I was hindered and couldn’t be their friend because they sin in this way. And I couldn’t engage in good conversation with them. I was like the religious crowd. I had a problem understanding grace and by the grace of God, I’m repenting of this.

See grace is opposite. The crowds and I had it backwards and Jesus was right. Grace is, as Romans 4:5 states, “And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the wicked, his faith is counted as righteousness.” Is it not that God justifies the wicked so that they can stop being wicked?

That is, sinners don’t stop sinning and then receive grace. It is sinners receive grace and then that grace enables them to stop sinning. So, why do I think that those who don’t have the grace of God act like they have the grace of God. God justifies the wicked, counts them as righteous and good with the righteousness of Christ. That stops them living together or stealing or coveting or a thousand other sins. They know the grace of God.

This is what is happening in our story today. Verses 8-9, “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.” Jesus seeks by grace and saves by grace Zacchaeus. Jesus doesn’t owe Zacchaeus anything especially salvation. And Zacchaeus doesn’t deserve anything good from Jesus. But, in grace, Jesus friends him and saves him. He gives him grace. And what is Zacchaeus’ response, my friends? Repentance and restitution. [Grace enabled]. He sees what he has done is wrong and publicly confesses and practices restitution as evidence that he’d received God’s forgiveness.

Don’t misunderstand what Zacchaeus did? He didn’t practice penance. Penance is the false teaching that you need to pay God and others back so that you can be forgiven. Restitution has nothing to do with forgiveness in the sight of God. Restitution is making right to those that you’ve sinned against as a response to the work of Jesus in your life. You see this in the earlier chapters of Luke with John the Baptist where John instructs the crowds, after their baptism signifying their salvation, to show evidence of their repentance by giving back what they earned unjustly. It’s not penance. It’s a part of true repentance. Restitution reveals repentance. This leads to two application questions:

1) What sins have you tolerated, and what does repentance look like? Manage, Left in your life for a while but not dealt with it. Christian, we do not manage sin, but kill it.

2) And two, Where does restitution need to happen in your life? Who have you sin against which you need to show the grace of God by make right the wrong you committed?

The Seeking Savior

Jesus brought salvation to Zacchaeus and Zacchaeus responded in a repentant faith. This was Jesus’ task while He was in Jericho and it is a part of His overall mission to “seek and save the lost.” Jesus is the seeking Savior, our third character and the star of the show. We read, in one of the most valuable, most glorious, and most important truth ever found in Scripture, verse 10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” As far as we are concerned, this is why we are saved, because God is a seeker and a saver of those who are lost. This is true to the nature of God. He sought us in the garden. He sought us in Egypt. He sought us in the wilderness, the promise land, and exile. He forever sought us, the lost, in the incarnation. The Son of Man, Jesus, broke into this world to do one overall mission, “to seek and save the lost.”

He reveals this truth while He was only a week or so away from entering into Jerusalem as the Passover lamb, taken on our sin, to die on a cross, and then be buried. And on the third day, He arose from the grave conquering Satan, sin and death. There He completely accomplished His mission which was to seek and to save the lost. Now, by the Holy Spirit through the Word, He is gathering all those who He has saved on the cross. All of those who He took their sin on and gives forgiveness and mercy to them, He seeks since He has saved them. Who are those? They are all those who, like Zacchaeus, repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus.

Some of you are lost and today for some, Jesus has come to find you. “Today is the day of salvation”. Jesus is calling your name and today salvation will come. It was true for Zacchaeus and it could be true for you. Like Zacchaeus, you’re not unsaveable, but you do need a Savior and His name is Jesus. He seeks you and calls you to repent of your sins and put your trust in Him as Lord. Would you receive this invitation? Repent of your sins? Follow Christ as Lord?

And for the church, those you have been found, we turn to this table before us. First, let us rejoice in gladness of who are Savior is and what He has done. He has found you. You were lost in your sin and misery. You were on a path of destruction like Zacchaeus was. But, Jesus came and sought you out. He called you by name. Let us rejoice with Him. And by this table, Jesus is seeking you, not as someone who is lost, but to draw you closer to Himself. He asks of you to repent of your sins, bring restitution to your life and others, and trust Him as Lord all the more. He is bringing more restitution by repentance. At this table, repent of your sins, the Holy Spirit will prompt you during this time. And trust in Christ’s saving work for you. Let us pray.

App. Questions:

Which sinner have you not called out but only grumbled about?

Do you know where you can enter into your non-Christian's friends?

What sins have you tolerated, and what does repentance look like?

Where does restitution need to happen in your life?