SEEKING to SAVE those who are LOST!
October
28 Bible Reading: Luke Chapters 19-21
SEEKING to SAVE those who are LOST!
"Today
salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to
save that which was lost" (Luke 19:9-10)
In the above
passage Jesus announced that salvation had come to the house of Zacchaeus,
because he was a son of Abraham. Salvation did not come just because Zacchaeus
was a Jew by birth but because he exercised the same kind of faith in God as Abraham.
Later on, Apostle Paul uses “son of
Abraham” to refer to those who share
the faith of Abraham. Previously, he may have been a physical son of
Abraham, but by his repentance he has become a spiritual son, and his entire
household shared in Abraham’s blessings.
Zacchaeus
may have been a higher-ranking “publican” rather than an ordinary tax collector.
Either way, he would have been despised by the citizens of Jericho. This
account describes how a sinner becomes a son. Zacchaeus behaved as one with a
heart touched by God. His faith was demonstrated in his repentance and his
restitution of funds according to the Law, which demanded repayment plus 20
percent (Lev. 6:5; Num. 5:7). Let us understand that righteous obedience is an evidence of saving faith!
Zacchaeus is
a good example of a man whose riches did not prevent him from coming to Christ.
But like so many today, what he needed was someone to explain the way of
salvation to him. Jesus came to him, sought him, and saved him. Though He was
surrounded by a great crowd of people, Jesus took time for individuals, and He
even saw a man up on a tree!
We can learn
four things from this passage of
Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10:
- We should see the need of God’s love in everyone we encounter during our life journey.
- We should never discount the ministry to individuals, as they may be instrumental in attracting many more to Christ (e.g., Zacchaeus in Luke 19 or the Samaritan Woman in John 4)
- We should seek to find lost people in our area of influence, try to know them personally and share the gospel with them.
- We should move further in these relationships and make them our friends, like Jesus did with Zacchaeus (v. 5)
"Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you." (Hosea 10:12)
