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"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."
(Luke 19:5-6)
Jesus stopped, looked, truly saw Zacchaeus, and spoke to him. The beauty of Jesus kisses the beast of this tax collector named Zacchaeus. Tax collectors were very despised in the first century Jewish context because they were Jews who worked for the Romans. They became quite wealthy at their own people's expense. But Jesus did not condemn him like the Pharisees did; no, Jesus had compassion on him, saw him, spoke to him, and even invited Himself to Zacchaeus's house!
Jesus was intentional, and so must we be if we are to reach people with the good news of salvation. To do this we have to see people like Jesus did and be willing to speak to them like Jesus did. No one ever became a follower of Jesus merely by watching someone's good deeds. We have got to speak!
I got this text from a member of our church, and it blessed me:
"Belated update--M is doing much better and is almost back to normal. Doing dinner with her husband T tomorrow, so prayers for receptiveness to the gospel. Also, got to share the gospel real fast with the guy making my burrito at Freebirds on Sunday!"
What a great example of going out of the way to share the gospel with others!
In Luke 19:10, we read of Jesus' mission statement for His life: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." The reason Jesus came to earth is the reason why He left you on earth once He saved you. He wants you to join in with Him as He seeks and saves the lost. God does the saving, but He has chosen to include and use us in the process.
Zacchaeus was saved. In Luke 19:9, Jesus said salvation has come to his house and called him a son of Abraham. Zacchaeus clearly repented of his sins in verse 8, and Jesus saved him right there in the confines of his own house.
Have you told someone recently Your personal testimony? If not, let me encourage you to do so today. Just follow this simple outline: Share what your life was like before you came to know Jesus, how Jesus became your personal Lord and Savior, and how God is blessing and leading your life today.
Perhaps you do not have a personal testimony or a salvation story. That can change right now! I invite you to do what Zacchaeus did and believe in Jesus, repent, and be saved.
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