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 saw the man everyone overlooked—because seeking and saving the lost is the very reason He came.

A Long Season and a God Who Knows What He Is Doing

It has been a while since I last preached, and I'm grateful for our pastoral team for covering me. It has also been a long and challenging season—not just for me, but for many of you. I have been working to put words to my thoughts and emotions over the last several weeks, and I find I am sometimes at a loss for words. Several times I've found myself asking the Lord the same question the apostle Paul asked in Acts 9 after encountering the risen Jesus: "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 that all went away. We were planning new things for the church coming into Palm Sunday and Easter, and a year later it feels as though we've lost a year of productivity. Many people feel this has been something of a lost year. But in the midst of it all, I have reminded myself, and I want to remind you, that God does know what He is doing. Nothing we have experienced has been a surprise to Him. We may not understand why He is doing what He's doing, but we can trust that He has a purpose and a plan that will eventually become clear.

Hope, Prayer, and the Purpose of God

I came across an article this week from the Irish News reporting that in 2020, Google searches for "hope" and "prayer" peaked. Terms such as "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—and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

You've probably 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 those words "God causes everything," which is fine when things are going well but very hard to hold when things fall apart. I don't key in on "God causes everything." Instead, I key in on "according to His purpose." I do not always fully understand the workings of God's providence—no one does—but I can accept that God is providentially working according to His purpose, and that gives me great comfort.

Made for Purpose

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." Psychologist and concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl, in Man's Search for Meaning, wrote of those in the camps: "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 He make us this way—Jesus, when He was here on earth, exemplified a purpose-driven mindset. Because this is a special day in the life of the church, I want to return to that truth from the Gospels.

Two Great Celebrations of the Church

Every year the church throughout the world has two major periods of celebration. The first surrounds the coming of Jesus into the world at Advent and Christmas. The second is much longer and surrounds several major events: the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday—which is today—the crucifixion on Good Friday, the resurrection on Easter, the ascension forty days later, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit fifty days after Easter at Pentecost, which is also the birthday of the church.

Wrap your mind around this: we are celebrating together with more than two billion people throughout the world who identify as Christians. We are approaching eight billion people in the world, and more than a quarter of them are identified as Christians. At this time of year we are, in some measurable way, united together celebrating the most essential aspect of Christianity, which we'll celebrate next Sunday on Easter.

Palm Sunday and the Cry of "Hosanna"

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 and clearly articulated purpose. On the Sunday He came into Jerusalem, five days before the crucifixion, part of His purpose was revealed in how the people responded. 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 "hosanna" is actually two Hebrew words translated for us in Psalm 118:25–26: "Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord." All of this brings us back to the purpose for which Jesus came.

Through Jericho

The events of Palm Sunday are found in Luke 19, beginning at verse 28, but I want to back up to verse 1—likely a day or two before Palm Sunday, as Jesus made His way to Jerusalem for that final Passion Week.

Two thousand years ago, a Jewish pilgrim traveling from Galilee in the north down to Jerusalem for Passover would follow the Jordan River downhill. The Sea of Galilee is about 650 feet below sea level, and Jericho is about 850 feet below sea level. Jericho was the last major town before the climb up to Jerusalem—an eighteen-mile journey climbing some 3,200 feet into the mountains of Judea. That is where Jesus and thousands of pilgrims were passing through before the triumphal entry.

A Despised Man Who Wanted to See Jesus

In Jericho lived a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, and he was rich. We're just a couple of weeks from April 15th—take how you feel about that day and compound it a few dozen times, and that's how people felt about tax collectors. Tax collectors were employed by the occupying Roman Empire, not by Israel. They worked for the despised occupiers, and people doubly hated a rich tax collector like Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was, but he couldn't because of the huge crowd and because he was of short stature. Archaeologists studying human remains from first-century Judea estimate the average male was about five foot six, so Zacchaeus was probably very short. Yet he was industrious: he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree, because he knew Jesus was going to pass that way.

Jesus Looks Up

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up. This was probably the only time in Zacchaeus' 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." This is the thing that stands out to me every time I read this passage: Jesus sees those who are overlooked and looked down upon. Why does He see them? That is where the purpose statement of Jesus takes us.

Zacchaeus came down and received Him joyfully, but the crowd complained: "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Something about how Zacchaeus looked or carried himself made it evident that he was a rich tax collector. To the Jewish people of Jesus' day, "tax collector" was synonymous with "sinner"—listed among the heathen, the extortioner, the adulterer, the harlot. So when Jesus said, "Today I'm going to dine with you," the crowd was displeased. But Jesus sees and calls those who are overlooked and despised.

Something Happening in Zacchaeus

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. Traditionally this is seen as repentance, and that may be true, though the original Greek seems to imply otherwise. I won't get into that today; suffice it to say something was happening in this little rich tax collector as he stood before Jesus and the crowd.

To this Jesus responded: "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."

To Seek and to Save the Lost

Four chapters earlier, in Luke 15, Jesus told three important parables: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost or prodigal son. In each, the lost thing is found, causing great joy and rejoicing. Those stories clue us into His purpose. Why does Jesus see those overlooked and looked down upon? Because He 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 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's why He came to the earth, why He went to Jericho, why He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and why He died upon the cross.

He Stands at the Door

Maybe you're watching right now and you realize you are like Zacchaeus—despised, looked down upon, far from God and far from others. But it is God who seeks to find those who are lost and rescue them, and when He does, there is joy and rejoicing. Jesus singled out the man everyone hated 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.

In Revelation 3, Jesus says, "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. He stands at the sycamore tree you've climbed into, like Zacchaeus, and says, "Come down, because today I want to have a meal with you, a relationship with you."

Communion and an Invitation

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

If you've never received salvation, let me lead you in a simple prayer of confession and petition. Pray this wherever you are: "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."

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You that You seek us out. Jesus, You came to this world for a purpose—to seek and to save that which was lost. You came for us, the one sheep that strayed from the ninety-nine, the lost coin, the prodigal You wait for with open arms. Lord, I pray that You would draw people to Yourself right now through this message, whether it is heard on Palm Sunday or three weeks or six months from now. If someone realizes they are like Zacchaeus, far from God up a tree, or like the prodigal son, You call them to come, and You say that if they will believe, trust, and confess their sins, You will forgive and save them.

Jesus, we thank You for the work You did on our behalf, which 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, and God laid upon Jesus our iniquity. We look forward to celebrating the resurrection next week, because You are not still in the tomb—You are alive, for You could not be held by death. Help us to rejoice in that throughout this weekend and to share it with others. In Jesus' name, amen.

Now may the Lord bless you 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.