Seek and Save the Lost

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

As a well-seasoned Christian, it’s easy for me to think of salvation in terms of the big picture: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This has been engrained in me since I was born, and even if you weren’t raised in a Christian household, this verse probably sounds familiar to you. The story of Zacchaeus, however, provides perspective on salvation at a more individual level.

As the chief tax collector in Jericho, Zaccheus had reached the top of his career field and was extremely wealthy. Even though wealthy men didn’t run or climb trees, Zaccheus was excited enough about Jesus that he broke social and cultural norms in order to see him. Jesus reached the tree and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). Sharing a meal meant having a certain level of intimacy, and those who saw Jesus leaving for Zaccheaus’s house noted that he was the guest of a sinner.

Jesus always kept company with sinners, but Zaccheus isn’t typically who comes to mind when we think of those that Jesus came to save. Instead, we often focus on Jesus saving the poor, brokenhearted, widows, and orphans, not a wealthy, manipulative tax collector. But save him Jesus did, and Zacchaeus changed his ways and vowed to give half of his possessions to the poor and pay back four times the amount to anyone he had cheated (Luke 19:8). Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”—this includes all those described above, as well as you and me.

Flickr Creative Commons, user gezelle rivera

As the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7) shows, Jesus is like the shepherd and rejoices when he finds one lost sheep and returns him home. Jesus seeks to save all those who are lost, and we are all lost in our own way. Whether we are the broken and oppressed or those who have caused brokenness and oppression, Jesus seeks to save each of us from our own sins.

Just as Zacchaeus was changed by encountering Jesus, we are changed when Jesus finds us and returns us home. This change can reach the lives of others and cause Jesus’s love to spread even further—aiding in God’s rescue mission to save the entire world, one life at a time… starting with Zacchaeus, with you, and with me.

As you continue your week, reflect on the salvation that Jesus offers—not only to save the poor and weak, but also to save the powerful, the wealthy, and all who are lost. Ask that God reveals to you how you might still be lost, and ask him to bring you back home into his unconditional love and unending grace.

[Megan Stephenson is a proud new mom to her two-month-old son August and spends her days trying to figure out how to take care of her tiny human. She also works for a private education group in Grand Rapids as an Assistant Registrar. Megan loves spending time with her husband, Ben, trying out new breweries, restaurants, and local attractions. She also self-identifies as a crazy cat lady, despite owning no cats of her own, thanks to her loving and allergic husband.]