came to seek out
and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:10
There is a joke that asks, "which person in the bible couldn't start a car?" Answer: Zach couldn't find the chaeus.
Moving right along......
To better understand the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, it's essential to recognize its tensions.
The tensions begin when Jesus is rejected by the people and delivered to the Gentiles.
Jesus then meets a man blind because of his sin, who is probably outside the community as an example of one who needs to repent. He cries out to Jesus who heals him, he sees Jesus and glorifies God.
Jesus next meets Zacchaeus. He's a tax collector, probably corrupt, practicing extortion, skimming extra for himself, and exploiting his fellow Israelites by collecting for Rome. He's a sinner. Big Time. He's one of the people who has sold out to “the man” and remains outside the in-crowd of the community.
Jesus goes to Zacchaeus' house for dinner causing people to grumble because he's eating with a sinner. Zacchaeus repents by promising restoration of his possessions. Jesus tells Zacchaeus salvation has come to his house.
Consider this irony. Jesus says he "came to seek out and to save the lost” who are not only found, seen by Jesus, but then see him.
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. That's Good News for the unemployed or those who find work meaningless. It's a message of hope for those changing careers often to find purpose in life. It's a message of peace to those feeling so angry they have to find somebody to blame for changes. It's a message of promise to those suffering racial or religious abuse.
Jesus stops today to meet us wherever we are. Something inside us knows that as Jesus hears the blind man and seeks Zacchaeus, so Jesus hears and seeks us.
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