Luke 19:1-10
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
HEAR:
In Luke, we see that many had already cast judgment on Zacchaeus because he was a tax collector and had most likely treated the people unjustly. Jesus still asks to stay at the house of Zacchaeus and we see Zacchaeus repent before Jesus. Jesus’s interaction with Zacchaeus shows us that their is no limitations as to who can be saved through Jesus. In Matthew, Jesus commissions his disciples and grants them authority through him to go out into the world and proclaim His name.
Use this time to listen to the Holy Spirit and pray. Specifically think about:
Are you like the people in the crowd (Luke v.7)? Ask God to reveal to you anybody in your life who your prior judgements may be keeping you from seeing them as worthy of God’s love and mercy.
Have you neglected to see your daily environment as a “nation” that God commissioned us to go into (Matt. v.19) Reflect on the places you spend the most time at and ask the Holy Spirit to place a burden on your heart for them.
Are you letting anything hold you back from seeing who Jesus really is (Luke v.4-5) Ask God to reveal the ways in which you have allowed yourself to miss out on seeing Jesus fully.
RESPOND:
These texts show us that no one is too lost for Jesus to find them. Jesus has commissioned us all into his mission, and it is up to us to find where our mission field is: on campus, the work place, in the home, etc. We are called to share of His great love with all the world.
Use this time to pray. Respond to God:
Pray that the hearts of unbelievers around us are softened and that they become receptive to the Good News of Jesus (Luke v.3).
Ask God to place a burden on your heart for the lost (Luke v.10). Let us not be apathetic to those around us who do not know Him.
Remember that the Lord is always with you (Matt. v.20). Ask for his Holy Spirit to guide you as you begin to navigate difficult or uncomfortable conversations with people on campus or at your workplace.