“Zaccheus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay
at your house.”
Luke 19:5
Jesus reached out to sinners. He
often ate with them. The Pharisees when they saw this asked Jesus’ disciples “Why
does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11). When
Jesus heard them, He said “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but
those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12). He went on to say “For I did not come to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). In Luke chapter
19 we read about a man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a notorious, chief tax
collector. He was very rich. When Jesus came into Jericho Zacchaeus wanted to
meet the man he had heard about. He was too short to see over the crowds so he
climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him. When Jesus passed his way He looked
up and said to him “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay
at your house” (Luke 19:5). He received Jesus’ words joyfully and made haste
and came down. The people didn’t agree with Jesus’ decision to reach out to
Zacchaeus . They complained as Zacchaeus was a sinner. God cared about
Zacchaeus’ spiritual wellbeing. He wasn’t concerned about the crowds and what
they believed. He looked at Zacchaeus’ heart. The result was a transforming miracle
in the life of Zacchaeus. Immediately Zacchaeus surrendered everything He had
to the Lord. He wanted to make things right. He said to Him, “Look, Lord, I
give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by
false accusation, I restore fourfold” (Luke 19:8). Jesus was pleased with this
inward change and said “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). Zacchaeus came to realize that money wasn’t
everything and that being rich in Christ is what really mattered.
So often we Christians surround
ourselves with a circle of believers that we fellowship with. We can sometimes
forget those that are sinners and are in need of our Savior. If Jesus took the
time to reach out to them, we should too. Ask God to give you eyes to see those
that are around you that are in need of a Savior. It is very likely that they
are watching your walk with Him and they are desiring to have what you have in
Christ. They may realize this but have no clue how they can incorporate Him
into their everyday lives. They don’t know what to do and where to begin. Ask
God to do a work in their hearts and to draw them to Him. Then ask Him to give
you opportunities to share God’s truths with them. Be sure to pray regularly for
them that their hearts will be open to the words the Holy Spirit gives to you
to share. Be a witness, in words and in deed. Remember that Jesus “has come to
seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:9-10). We should make this one
of our aims too. Jesus had a circle of 12 disciples that he taught and fellowshipped with.. But He still spent time reaching out to others so that they could come to know Him too.
Father, we pray for the sinners that are around us. We pray
for those that are in need of You, a Lord and a Savior, a friend. Father, we
ask that you draw each and every single one of them to You. We pray that You
prepare their hearts for You. Reveal to them the way to a life with You. Loose believers
across their paths. May us believers be willing to eat with them and care about
them personally and their needs. Give us words to share and hearts that care.
May we be witnesses to them, in words
and in deeds. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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