Luke 19:1-10

Luke 19:1-10

Mission Possible

I. Jesus came on a rescue mission for the lost; so we must respond joyfully to His urgent call (Vv. 1-7)

a. Jesus was heading towards Jericho on His way to Jerusalem and the cross. In Jericho there was a little rich man named Zaccheus who was struggling under the crushing weight of his life. Being a rich tax collector doesn’t seem so bad, but in his context, tax collectors were viewed as traitors who sold their own people, and criminally extorted funds out them on top of what they owed. Zaccheus, being the chief tax collector, was viewed even more negatively than normal. His whole life, decisions, and actions would’ve been motivated towards acquiring wealth at the cost of everything else. He was trapped under the weight of his own riches, isolated from the companionship of others, and separated from any hope of true joy and fulfillment in his life. As Jesus came into town, God stirred Zaccheus’ heart to see who Jesus was. He strained to see Jesus but couldn’t see over the crowd, so with no regard for his dignity, he ran ahead and climbed a tree that so he could see. He had to see if there was a chance at freedom even if he didn’t fully understand all that was going on. To Zaccheus’ great surprise and joy, he found a Savior who was already seeking Him out. Jesus looked up into the tree directly at Zaccheus, who He knew by name, called the frustrated little man down from the tree, and invited Himself to Zaccheus’ house. Zaccheus “hurried” down and “received Him gladly”. Nothing tangible had changed, Zaccheus was still a hated and despised social outcast, but Jesus had entered into his life because he had responded to God’s call on his heart to know Jesus, and now there was joy where there had been none. Ironically enough, the crowd who was also assembled for the same occasion was left mad and grumbling, jealous of the sinner with whom Jesus went to stay. They were seeking the wrong thing. Left to our own faculties none of us seek God. When we’re crushed under the burden of life, we’ll either buckle under the pressure and give up in fear, act out in anger, bitterness, and accusations, or resolve to work harder to try to solve our own issues. Only God’s stirring of our hearts to seek Him provides the opportunity for a different response to the burdens we all face in life due to our sin and separation from God. What we find when we respond to God’s call to seek Him, is a Savior who’s already seeking us to provide for us what we can’t provide for ourselves. He alone knows who we are, where we are, when we are, and what we need. Is God stirring your heart today to seek out meaning, purpose, relief, rescue, peace, rest, hope, and refreshing? Whether He’s calling you to Him for salvation or He’s calling you to renewal through a deeper understanding, purpose, and calling in Him. We must respond joyfully to His urgent call, knowing that no matter what we face in life, how great the weight, fear, and uncertainty might seem, Jesus is all we need. (Vv. 1-7; Isa 54:13; 55:6; 59:1-2, 7-15; Luke 5:27-32; 18:18-27; John 1:12-13; 3:16; 6:37-39, 44-45, 65; Rom. 3:10-26; 5:6-11; 10:8-13; 2 Cor. 6:1-2; Heb. 4:7)

II. Jesus came on a rescue mission for the lost; so our lives must be radically redefined in Him (Vv. 8-10)

a. When Zaccheus responded faithfully to Jesus’ desire to fellowship with him, his life was redefined immediately. His sinful love of money which was the obstacle to his fullness, peace, and purpose in life, was no longer important to him. Now God’s glory and people were important. He freely and spontaneously declared that he would immediately give half his possessions to the poor, and to go beyond what the letter of the law required of him for defrauding others. God’s grace in Christ had transformed his heart and thus his actions. Like the faith the saved Abraham and made him a child of God and father of God’s people, salvation had also come to Zaccheus. That’s the purpose of Jesus coming to earth. That’s the purpose of Christmas. That the Living God of the universe, who took on flesh and His role as the “Son of Man”, knows His children, knows our needs, our weakness, and loves us so much that He came on a mission to seek and save us from our lostness in sin. He knows everything about our lives. He knows our dreams, our fears, our worries, our pain, and our failures. There is no weight too heavy or no obstacle too big that God’s grace in Christ can’t overcome it. If you’ve never known that Savior and His freedom, He’s calling you down today. If you know Him, but you’ve allowed obstacles to clutter the path between you and your Savior, He seeks you out, never leaves you, and nothing can separate you from Him. If the Lord is your Shepherd, you’ve got all you want, but we must radically redefine our lives in Him. (Vv.8-10; Gen. 15:6; Exod. 22:1; Numb. 5:6-7; Ezek. 34:16; Ps. 23:1-6; Matt. 13:44-46Luke 9:23-25; 14:33; John 1:1-5, 14-18; 3:13; 5:20-27; 6:62-63; Rom. 4:1-5; 6:4-14; 8:12-17, 28-39; Gal. 2:19-20; 3:7-9; Phil. 3:7-16)