Five-minute read.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Luke 19:10
Zaccheus, a short tax collector, climbs a tree so he can see the Savior. Jesus, passing through Jericho, looks up at the man sitting on a branch and tells Zaccheus to hurry down, “for I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5). Now the crowd didn’t approve of Christ’s actions because of Zaccheus’s job. Tax collectors didn’t have a lot of accountability and would often charge more than required, keeping the excess for themselves, hence their reputation as sinners. As a chief tax collector, Zaccheus held a higher office and could extort more money from the people. Paying back fourfold for any wrongdoing would amount to a large sum.
But even more interesting, Jesus wanted to see Zaccheus more than the tax collector wanted to see the Savior. Inviting Himself over for dinner, Christ sought out the sinner and ate with him, an intimate act of fellowship. When eating, the men would sit on cushions around a table, lounging and engaging in conversation. One can only imagine the full extent of their talk, but during it, Zacheus’s heart changes, and he repents.
Salvation came to the tax collector’s house because of his faith, not because Zaccheus did a good deed. Repentance leads to different actions. Only with application can we find transformation. As Zaccheus applied Jesus’s teachings to his life, a transformation occurred, and he acted differently. The Savior seeks, saves, and transforms. Once people have an encounter with Jesus, their lives change forever.
Our church has a family service at Thanksgiving with baby dedications, baptism, and communion. During baby dedications, the parents and church agree to help raise the children according to Jesus’s teachings, helping them develop a relationship with the Savior. In our last family service, parents of three adolescents dedicated their children because the parents had begun a relationship with Jesus. Right before the father walked off stage, he asked the pastor to tell the congregation he had become a follower of Christ that week. And within days, the dad dedicated his family to the Lord and began parenting according to the Gospel. When Jesus seeks and saves, it changes lives and generations. Those kids will never forget that moment.
Zaccheus changed his life. I changed mine. Anyone who gives their life to the Savior will find transformation. And even more than we want to see Jesus, He wants to see us. The Lord wants to come to dinner, sit at the table, and share a meal. When we invite Him into our lives, Jesus changes our destiny and leads us on the path to eternal life with Him. One day at a time, we become more like Christ, applying His teachings to our lives and letting Him transform us.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for sending Jesus to seek and save us. Please help us give Him full access to our hearts and experience life change. Let our lives transform, and let His light shine through us as we apply Your teachings to our days.
IJNIP. Amen
