To Seek & Save | Sunday, March 28, 2021

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but he could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "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 19:1-10

Jesus came to the world, and to Jerusalem, with one clear purpose: to seek and to save the lost and despised.

A Long Season and a Searching Question

It has been a while since I last preached, and I'm grateful to our pastoral team for covering for me. It has also been a long and challenging season—not just for me, but for many of you. I've been working to put words to my thoughts and emotions over the last several weeks, and I sometimes find myself at a loss for words. I feel as though I have a lot to say, yet I'm not entirely sure how to say it.

Several times over the last couple of weeks I've found myself asking the Lord the same question the apostle Paul asked after encountering the risen Jesus in Acts 9: "Lord, what would You have me to do?" A year ago, when the COVID chaos first began, I had a dialed-in weekly routine, and all of that went away. We were planning all kinds of new things for Palm Sunday and Easter, and a year later it can feel as though we've lost a year of productivity. A lot of people feel that way—that this has been something of a lost year.

God Knows What He Is Doing

In the midst of all this, I have reminded myself many times—and I want to remind you—that God knows what He is doing. I do not believe everything we have experienced in the last year has been a surprise to God. We may not understand all that He is doing or why, but we can trust that He has a purpose and a plan, and that eventually many of those purposes will become clear.

I came across an article this last week out of the Irish News reporting that in 2020, Google searches for "hope," "hug," and "prayer" reached a record high. Challenging and chaotic times have a way of pushing people to pray and to search for greater sources of hope. I'm not saying God's purpose in everything has been to push us to pray—but it isn't a horrible byproduct.

You've likely come across Romans 8:28. One translation says, "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." Some people key in on "God causes everything," which is fine when things are going well, but very hard when things fall apart. I instead key in on the words "according to His purpose." I don't always understand the workings of God's providence—no one does—but I can accept that God is working according to His purpose, and that gives me great comfort.

We Are Purpose-Driven Beings

We are purpose-seeking and purpose-driven beings. We need purpose, or else we descend toward a nihilistic hopelessness. Even the great unbeliever Friedrich Nietzsche recognized, "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." The psychologist and German concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl, in his book Man's Search for Meaning, wrote, "Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on. He was soon lost." If we lose our sense of purpose, we are in danger of losing ourselves. God made us this way.

And not only did God make us this way—Jesus, when He was here upon the earth, exemplified a purpose-driven mindset. Every year the church throughout the world has two major periods of celebration. The first is the coming of Jesus at Christmas, during Advent. The second is longer and surrounds several events: the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, the crucifixion on Good Friday, the resurrection on Easter, the ascension forty days later, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit fifty days later at Pentecost, which is also the birthday of the church. Right now we are celebrating together with more than two billion people throughout the world who identify as Christians—more than a quarter of the nearly eight billion people on earth.

The Purpose Revealed at the Triumphal Entry

Jesus came to the world, which we celebrate at Christmas, and He came to Jerusalem, which we celebrate on Palm Sunday, for a clearly defined purpose. Part of that purpose was revealed in how the people responded as He entered the city. At His triumphal entry the people sang from the Psalms, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." They were singing from Psalm 118, and the word "Hosanna" is actually two Hebrew words. Psalm 118:25-26 says, "Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

The triumphal entry is found in Luke 19 beginning at verse 28, but I want to back up to Luke 19:1, which takes place probably a day or two before Palm Sunday as Jesus made His way to Jerusalem for that final Passion Week. This passage has been fresh on my heart because I'm reading through it in my own devotional time right now.

Jericho and the Climb to Jerusalem

A few things to note. First, Jericho. If you were a Jewish pilgrim traveling from Galilee in the north to Jerusalem in the south for Passover, most of your journey followed the Jordan River downhill. The Sea of Galilee sits about 650 feet below sea level, and Jericho about 850 feet below, heading toward the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Jericho was the last major town before you climbed some 3,200 feet over an 18-mile journey up into the mountains of Judea to Jerusalem. That is where Jesus and thousands of pilgrims were passing through.

Second, there was a man named Zacchaeus who lived in Jericho. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. We're just a couple of weeks out from April 15th, the favorite day of every adult in America—not really. Take how you feel about April 15th and compound it a few dozen times, and that's how people felt about tax collectors in Israel 2,000 years ago. Tax collectors were employed by the occupying Roman Empire, not by Israel. They worked for the despised occupiers. People hated tax collectors, and they would have doubly hated rich ones like Zacchaeus.

A Short Man in a Sycamore Tree

Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was, but he couldn't, because of the huge crowd and because he was of short stature. Archaeologists who study human remains in this region from the first century estimate the average male in Judea was about five foot six. So if Zacchaeus was "a wee little man," he was probably very short. But though he was short, he was industrious—he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree because he knew Jesus would pass that way.

Here is the thing that stands out to me every time I read this passage. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up. This is probably the only time in Zacchaeus's life that anyone ever looked up to him. Jesus looked up, saw him, and said, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." Jesus sees those who are overlooked and looked down upon.

"A Guest of a Man Who Is a Sinner"

Zacchaeus made haste, came down, and received Jesus joyfully. But when the crowd saw it, they all complained, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Something about how Zacchaeus looked—his clothing, the way he carried himself—made it clear he was a rich tax collector. To the Jewish people of Jesus' day, "tax collector" was synonymous with "sinner." The mindset of the first-century Israelite listed tax collectors among the most despised. So when Jesus announced He would dine at this man's house, the crowd objected.

But Jesus sees and calls those who are overlooked and despised. Then Zacchaeus stood and said, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore it fourfold"—far more than the Law required. There is more in this verse than I have time for today. Traditionally this is seen as repentance, and the original Greek seems to imply something else, but that's not the point I want to zero in on. Suffice it to say, something was happening in this wee little rich tax collector as he stood before Jesus and the crowd.

To Seek and to Save the Lost

To this Jesus responds, "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." Four chapters earlier, in Luke 15, Jesus told three important parables—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. In each, the lost thing is found, causing great joy and rejoicing. Those stories tell us something about God and about Jesus, and they clue us into His purpose.

Why does Jesus see those who are overlooked and looked down upon? Because Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and despised. This is really important good news. As we prepare to remember Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection this next week, we need to remember that all of this—which may not have made sense to the people at the time—was for a purpose. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. That is why He came to the earth, why He went to Jericho, why He entered Jerusalem, why He carried and died upon the cross.

Salvation for Your House

There are people we interact with regularly—and maybe you watching right now—who realize you are like Zacchaeus: despised, looked down upon, far from God and far from others. But it is God who seeks to save and to find those who are lost, that He might rescue them. When He brings about salvation by grace, mercy, and forgiveness, there is joy and rejoicing. Jesus singled out the man hated by everyone and came looking for him, because salvation was going to come to his house. I believe the Lord wants salvation to come to your house as well.

One of the most famous verses, Revelation 3, has Jesus saying, "I stand at the door and knock, and if anyone opens unto Me, I will come in and dine with him." The Lord stands at the door of your heart and knocks. He stands at the foot of the sycamore tree you've climbed up into, like Zacchaeus, and says, "Come down, because today I want to have a meal with you and a relationship with you."

Coming to the Lord

So in just a moment we're going to partake of communion, the meal that symbolizes what Jesus did to redeem lost sinners. Jesus instituted this meal 2,000 years ago this very week. In the bread and the cup we remember His body that was broken for us and His blood that was shed so that we might receive forgiveness and grace.

If you're listening and you realize you are like Zacchaeus—far from God, up a tree—or like the prodigal son, the lost sheep, the lost coin, and you want to come to the Lord or return to Him, He calls you to come. If you will believe, trust in Him, and confess your sins, He will forgive and save you. Let me lead you in a simple prayer of confession and petition:

Dear Jesus, I recognize that I am a sinner. I know that I need Your forgiveness and grace. I pray that You'd come into my life, forgive me of my sin, and rescue me. In Jesus' name, amen.

Communion

As I shared today, we are celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem just five days before His crucifixion and a week before His resurrection. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus partook of the Passover meal with His disciples. He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them saying, "Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." So let's partake of the bread together, remembering His body broken so that we could receive God's grace and forgiveness.

Likewise, after they had eaten, Jesus took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." This grape juice reminds us of Jesus' blood shed for us. The book of Hebrews says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. But Jesus died on the cross, His body broken and His blood shed, so that we could be forgiven. So let's partake together.

Closing Prayer

Jesus, we thank You for the work You did on our behalf—the work we remember this week especially: Your body broken for us, Your blood shed for us. You were bruised for our iniquity; the chastisement for our peace was upon You, and by Your stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we've turned everyone to his own way, but God, You laid upon Jesus our iniquity. We thank You that You have given us grace through Your death on the cross, and we look forward to celebrating the resurrection next week, because You are not still in that tomb—You are alive. Help us to rejoice in that throughout this week and to share it with others. In Jesus' name, amen.

And now may the Lord bless and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.