I See You in that Tree
Jesus once told a story about a man who had a hundred sheep and then one was lost. He told more than one story like that. What’s interesting is that Luke tells stories in his gospel about Jesus showing us what it looks like to live out the heart of this parable he told about a lost sheep.
One of those stories is found in Luke 19.
As the story goes, one day Jesus was entering a city called Jericho. There was a man there whose name was Zacchaeus. He had become rich as a chief tax collector in the region.
So while he was rich, he was hated, despised, and most people if they saw him just kept walking wanting nothing to do with him. That’s what most people would do, but Jesus isn’t most people.
Zacchaeus was a short man. He wanted to get a look at Jesus as he was coming into town but there was no way he could see over the crowd. So he climbed up a tree.
When Jesus walked by that tree Jesus saw Zacchaeus in that tree. And when Jesus saw him he did something no one expected, no one anticipated.
Lost People
Jesus looked up at Zacchaeus and said… “Zacchaeus, I’m so disappointed in you. You have got to get your act together. If and when you do, come see me. But until then you need to think long and hard about what you’ve done and how you’re going to make it right!”
Ok, if you know the story that’s not what Jesus said.
Luke writes…
When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
Think about that. Jesus sees the one who everyone else turns away from and pretends is invisible. Not only does Jesus SEE him, He calls him by NAME. As far as we know, these two men have never met. But by SEEING Zacchaeus and calling him by NAME he communicates to Zacchaeus and everyone else that day that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, there’s nothing you could ever do to make God love you less. Every person is a person of immeasurable worth.
Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.
And then Jesus says this…
For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
The Lost are Found
The story that Jesus told about the Lost Sheep, it wasn’t really about a lost sheep. It was about lost people. People like Zacchaeus.
You’ve probably figured that out by now. The stories Jesus told were often considered scandalous. Because, if this story isn’t about a man who lost a sheep and it’s really about what happens when SOMEONE who is LOST comes home to God, and what happens is that there is a party in heaven unlike anything you could imagine… if this story is really about what matters to God and what matters to God is different that what matters to us, especially those of us who are religious and regular church attending people… then what does that mean for us?
What I want to ask you and me to do over these next few weeks is to have the humility and faith to listen to Jesus and then decide, in light of what matters most to Jesus, what should we do?
In light of this teaching of Jesus, what needs to change for me, for you, for us?
We simply cannot walk away from the red letters, the words of Jesus, and say, “That was a nice story Jesus. Can’t wait for my kids to color a sheep in Bible class. Somebody ought to go and find that lost sheep, but I’ve got other things to do.” Or, “That’s the preacher’s job! That’s the youth minister’s job! I think y’all ought to go find and do everything you can to find lost sheep and evangelize… Just, don’t change the church! Keep singing my favorite songs and doing things the way I like them.”
But here’s the problem with that… A consumeristic church cannot be a lost sheep finding church. As long as we’re more concerned about our happiness, what we want and what we like, we cannot be and will not be a lost sheep finding church.
The shepherd puts aside his wants, his comforts, and he risks everything, EVEN THE 99!, to find the ONE who is lost.
What about us?
What matters most to God? People. Especially people who are lost.
But what about us? What matters most to us? And how can what matters most to God begin to matter most to you and me?
What if we started by praying about that? What I want to suggest is that for you and I to have a true change of heart, for us to align our hearts with the heart of God, it begins with prayer. And maybe this prayer can help us.
Lord Jesus Christ, Help me love the lost the way you love the lost.
Help me love those who are far from you, for whatever reason, the same way you love those who are far from you.
Here’s the simple truth we all need to remember. At some point we were all far from God. At some point, we were the one who was lost and Jesus came and found us and Jesus came and carried us home.
And some of us, including me, have wandered away more than once! And Jesus has carried us home over and over again. And by the way, that’s ok. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. His shoulders don’t get tired or weary. He never gets tired of searching, finding, and bringing lost sheep back to the fold.
My prayer for us is that like Jesus, we will love the lost as much as He does and be willing to do whatever it takes to bring those who are lost home.
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