To seek and to save
LUKE 19:1-10 | ALASTAIR MACKINTOSH
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How hard do we find the gospel truth that our salvation is the same as that of any person who is prepared to place their trust and faith in Jesus, and their former life is no barrier to their salvation if their repentance to the sin in their life and acceptance of their need for Jesus is genuine.
In truth it is one of the difficulties my human brain has, to rationalise this equality of salvation and consider the sin in my life is no less significant than the sin in any one else’s life.
The modern secular view of the world is a layered one where people are placed according to their achievements, motivations, goals and aspirations and attitudes towards others.
In these verses we see exactly the same thing.
Tax collectors are amongst the most unpopular people. Zaccheus is a Jew by birth and has chosen to work with the occupying Roman forces so is considered perhaps as something of a traitor. Not only that, the text mentions he is wealthy and that wealth is forged out of extracting money from his own people.
Jesus does not just notice Zaccheus but wants to spend time with him and go to his house, despite how that is viewed by others. What does that tell us about who Jesus is really interested in and what do these verses tell us about the impact Jesus has on the life of a sinner ?
Zaccheus responds to Jesus invitation in v8 and states he will give half his possessions to the poor and he will pay back anyone he has cheated 4 times the amount. Meeting Jesus in this way and being shown this grace convicts Zaccheus of the need for change and this inward change is reflected by outward actions.
In Ephesians 4, Paul invites us to live a life that responds to God’s grace with humility, gentleness and patience. As people who have received generous grace, we are called to live gracious lives. God's grace to us fuels us to show that grace and generosity to others.
The challenge for us is to reflect on how does the grace you have received affect your relationships with the people around you? What can you do to show humility, gentleness and patience in your relationships and interactions.
The Jewish people look at Zaccheus and his tax collector’s life and they believe they are better than him. Jesus refers to Zaccheus in v9 as son of Abraham, meaning like all other Jews watching on Zaccheus is the same as them. That is not an easy message to absorb as they believed salvation was theirs because they were Gods chosen people, but as was the case then, our salvation is not earned because of heritage or history , nor are we condemned because of it.
Jesus in v 10 says he came to seek and to save the lost. What does that mean to be lost? Our salvation does not come from our ability to earn it, but it comes from recognising that our sinful life separates us from God , we are lost in that respect and it is only because of the death Jesus died on the cross that he took our sins to the grave and through his resurrection has conquered that sin so that it no longer separates us from God.
When we place our trust and faith in Jesus, just like Zaccheus our sins are forgiven, and we are restored into relationship with God who provides the holy spirit to work in our life. Our changed character and attitudes are evidence of the work of the holy spirit in our life.
What we don’t go on to learn here is how Zaccheus continued to exhibit sin in his life, and you can be sure that he did. Forgiveness of our sin at the point of our salvation is not the end of our inherent sinful nature. We must work hard to maintain that relationship with God through the word, prayer and fellowship so we continue to grow up in the things of faith and not be drawn back to the things of this world.
So, as we go into this Easter week let’s remember our status as lost people who are dependent on the God who sent his son Jesus to save the lost.
