Day 19 of 24

 Today's passage: Luke 19

Today's focus: vs. 1-10

I'm going to do something a little unusual and start with the last verse and work backwards from there. Verse 10 reads, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

It is important to note whom the Son of Man is coming to save. He came to save the lost. Wait-- isn't everyone lost? Yes. But the ones whom the Son came to save are the ones whom the Father has given Him. Not all will be saved, or that would be Universalism. Even in this chapter, vs 27 shows that there are enemies in which He will slaughter. 

John 6:39, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me..."

John 10:29, "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."

John 17:24, "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am..."

What we understand, then, is that Jesus came to seek and save the lost ones whom the Father has given them. How do we know who are the lost ones? 

Zacchaeus is a great example. 

1. Seeks Jesus. We see throughout our reading that there are those who oppose Jesus and want nothing to do with Him because He calls out their sins. We talked a little about tax collectors yesterday. Instead of trying to hide from Jesus, Zacchaeus seeks Jesus out! 
2. Receives Jesus. Vs 6 says that Zacchaeus hurried down from the tree and "received him joyfully." That is a mark of the one whom God saves. This person receives Jesus joyfully. Not out of guilt trip, or political gain, or just to fit in. This person is genuinely excited about Jesus. 
3. Obeys Jesus. Yesterday, we read about the Rich Young Ruler, who walked away sad because he treasured his treasures more than he treasured Jesus. Here, Zacchaeus makes it right and returns all that he took. But he goes above and beyond and even gives away his riches because he has made Jesus his Lord (and addresses Jesus as such). 

It is for these reasons that Jesus pronounces, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham." This has less to do with Zacchaeus' bloodline and more to do with his faith like Abraham's.