Lesson 2593

(Lesson 2593)(01-27-19) Luke 19:1-10
    “ And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

    Today’s quote tells us that Jesus was condemned by His fellow Jews for eating in the house of
Zacchaeus, a tax collector who the people hated and called a “sinner”. In justifying His actions, Jesus told the people that he had come to “seek and to save that which was lost”. 
    Jesus, as is noted throughout the New Testament, spent a lot of time with those who were, at the time, called sinners. The people to whom Jesus took His message, during His ministry on earth, were the complete opposites of the types that many of today’s so called Christian preachers spend their efforts upon. Today, if a lost soul is not sitting somewhere in a church pew two or three times a week, they’re probably not hearing God’s word preached at all. Modern preachers seldom take the message of God’s amazing saving grace to the lost, wherever they are; instead, they wait for the lost to come to “church”. That is totally contrary to the way Jesus intended His followers to spread the good news. He meant for us to take His word to the lost, even if they were in trees like Zaccheaus. Jesus said “go ye into ALL the world and preach the gospel”. That includes bars, pool halls, workplaces etc, AND of course, churches.~