Search and Rescue
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)
The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home telephone number and was greeted with a child’s whispered, “Hellwo?” Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to a youngster, the boss asked, “Is your Daddy home?” “Yes,” whispered the small voice. “May I talk with him?” the man asked. To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, “No.” Wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, “Is your Mommy there?” “Yes,” came the answer. “May I talk with her?” Again, the small voice whispered, “No.” Knowing that it was not likely that a young child would be left home alone, the boss decided he would just leave a message with the person who should be there watching over the child. “Is there anyone there besides you?” the boss asked the child. “Yes,” whispered the child, “a polwiceman.” Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss asked, “May I speak with the policeman?” “No, he’s busy,” whispered the child. “Busy doing what?” asked the boss. “He is talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fwireman,” came the whispered answer.
Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the ear piece on the phone, the boss asked, “What is that noise?” “A hello-copper,” answered the whispering voice. “What is going on there?” asked the boss, now alarmed. In an awed whispering voice, the child answered, “The search team just landed the hello-copper!” Alarmed, concerned and more than just a little frustrated, the boss asked, “Why are they there?” Still whispering softly, the young voice replied (along with a muffled giggle), “They are looking for me!”
The mission which Jesus came to earth to fulfill was to seek and save the lost. His mission is to search and rescue people who sometimes spend their entire life hiding from him. The story above from the Gospel of Luke reminds us of the importance of this mission.
None of Us Really Measure Up. When the opportunity arrived for Zacchaeus to see Jesus, he couldn’t because he was such a short person. When it comes to God’s standard, we are all wee little people spiritually. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” When our children were growing we used to measure their growth progress by marking a line on a door jamb in our house. Every year they could see their progress as they grew closer to the lines that represented mom and dad. All of them eventually grew taller than their mom and 3 of the 4 grew taller than dad. But no matter how tall any of us might be physically, we can never measure up to God’s standard spiritually. We all fall far short of God’s standard - Jesus Christ. He has a name that is above every other name! Zacchaeus spent most of his life trying to convince himself he was heads above everyone else because of his wealth and social accomplishments. The greatest day in his life was when he realized that wealth, and personal accomplishments still fall short of what God requires. His focus changed from his physical stature and his earthly wealth to his spiritual poverty.
There are Many People Who Are Desperately Looking For Something. Zacchaeus was rich, but he wasn’t happy. There was something missing in his life. The details of this story reveal he was a desperate man. He was rich and dignified, yet he ran down the road to try to get in position. Desperate people run. I used to climb trees when I was a kid but not anymore. The only things that could get me to climb a tree today would be if I was being chased by a mean dog or if I was trying to escape a flood. Climbing a tree is an act of desperation. Zach had an itch in his heart all his wealth couldn’t scratch. He probably didn’t even know what he needed. He just knew he desperately needed something. When he heard Jesus was in town, he was hoping Jesus might have the solution to his problem. He didn’t know it, but he was looking for God.
Jesus Sees You Not As You Are–But As Who You Can Become. When everyone else looked at Zacchaeus, they saw a mean, little, dirty rotten scoundrel. When Jesus saw at him in that tree, he saw a person with whom he wanted to have a relationship. He says, “I’m going to your house today.” He must have thought, “I’m going to make this short and sweet! It made some of the people in the crowd angry. “Why would Jesus pay more attention to a sinner like that than he does to me?” They didn’t understand the nature of Jesus’ mission. He was on a search and rescue mission. He was searching for mean, little, dirty rotten scoundrels! He knew they need to be rescued. Interestingly, the name “Zacchaeus” means “pure.” Jesus didn’t see a crooked tax collector, He saw a man who could become pure. Zacchaeus was a dirty rotten scoundrel simply because he didn’t have Jesus in his life. I can see them sitting at the table dipping pieces of pita bread into their dinner. At some point Jesus says, “Zach, tell me about your job.” And before he knows it, Zacchaeus poured out his heart to Jesus, confessing how he had been stealing from the people. Before the conversation was over, Zacchaeus was a changed man.
Over dinner that night Jesus rescued a lost sinner who went on to become a generous, compassionate person. Zacchaeus had finally become the person God had always intended him to be. The search and rescue mission had been successful that day. But it is not yet over. Today and tomorrow you will likely rub shoulders with people who still need rescued. Some may still be hiding. Others may be searching. Don’t just past them by without pointing the way to the hope and forgiveness which is available through the Cross of Christ. Join the search and rescue team by sharing the message of the Gospel today.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home telephone number and was greeted with a child’s whispered, “Hellwo?” Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to a youngster, the boss asked, “Is your Daddy home?” “Yes,” whispered the small voice. “May I talk with him?” the man asked. To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, “No.” Wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, “Is your Mommy there?” “Yes,” came the answer. “May I talk with her?” Again, the small voice whispered, “No.” Knowing that it was not likely that a young child would be left home alone, the boss decided he would just leave a message with the person who should be there watching over the child. “Is there anyone there besides you?” the boss asked the child. “Yes,” whispered the child, “a polwiceman.” Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss asked, “May I speak with the policeman?” “No, he’s busy,” whispered the child. “Busy doing what?” asked the boss. “He is talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fwireman,” came the whispered answer.
Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the ear piece on the phone, the boss asked, “What is that noise?” “A hello-copper,” answered the whispering voice. “What is going on there?” asked the boss, now alarmed. In an awed whispering voice, the child answered, “The search team just landed the hello-copper!” Alarmed, concerned and more than just a little frustrated, the boss asked, “Why are they there?” Still whispering softly, the young voice replied (along with a muffled giggle), “They are looking for me!”
The mission which Jesus came to earth to fulfill was to seek and save the lost. His mission is to search and rescue people who sometimes spend their entire life hiding from him. The story above from the Gospel of Luke reminds us of the importance of this mission.
None of Us Really Measure Up. When the opportunity arrived for Zacchaeus to see Jesus, he couldn’t because he was such a short person. When it comes to God’s standard, we are all wee little people spiritually. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” When our children were growing we used to measure their growth progress by marking a line on a door jamb in our house. Every year they could see their progress as they grew closer to the lines that represented mom and dad. All of them eventually grew taller than their mom and 3 of the 4 grew taller than dad. But no matter how tall any of us might be physically, we can never measure up to God’s standard spiritually. We all fall far short of God’s standard - Jesus Christ. He has a name that is above every other name! Zacchaeus spent most of his life trying to convince himself he was heads above everyone else because of his wealth and social accomplishments. The greatest day in his life was when he realized that wealth, and personal accomplishments still fall short of what God requires. His focus changed from his physical stature and his earthly wealth to his spiritual poverty.
There are Many People Who Are Desperately Looking For Something. Zacchaeus was rich, but he wasn’t happy. There was something missing in his life. The details of this story reveal he was a desperate man. He was rich and dignified, yet he ran down the road to try to get in position. Desperate people run. I used to climb trees when I was a kid but not anymore. The only things that could get me to climb a tree today would be if I was being chased by a mean dog or if I was trying to escape a flood. Climbing a tree is an act of desperation. Zach had an itch in his heart all his wealth couldn’t scratch. He probably didn’t even know what he needed. He just knew he desperately needed something. When he heard Jesus was in town, he was hoping Jesus might have the solution to his problem. He didn’t know it, but he was looking for God.
Jesus Sees You Not As You Are–But As Who You Can Become. When everyone else looked at Zacchaeus, they saw a mean, little, dirty rotten scoundrel. When Jesus saw at him in that tree, he saw a person with whom he wanted to have a relationship. He says, “I’m going to your house today.” He must have thought, “I’m going to make this short and sweet! It made some of the people in the crowd angry. “Why would Jesus pay more attention to a sinner like that than he does to me?” They didn’t understand the nature of Jesus’ mission. He was on a search and rescue mission. He was searching for mean, little, dirty rotten scoundrels! He knew they need to be rescued. Interestingly, the name “Zacchaeus” means “pure.” Jesus didn’t see a crooked tax collector, He saw a man who could become pure. Zacchaeus was a dirty rotten scoundrel simply because he didn’t have Jesus in his life. I can see them sitting at the table dipping pieces of pita bread into their dinner. At some point Jesus says, “Zach, tell me about your job.” And before he knows it, Zacchaeus poured out his heart to Jesus, confessing how he had been stealing from the people. Before the conversation was over, Zacchaeus was a changed man.
Over dinner that night Jesus rescued a lost sinner who went on to become a generous, compassionate person. Zacchaeus had finally become the person God had always intended him to be. The search and rescue mission had been successful that day. But it is not yet over. Today and tomorrow you will likely rub shoulders with people who still need rescued. Some may still be hiding. Others may be searching. Don’t just past them by without pointing the way to the hope and forgiveness which is available through the Cross of Christ. Join the search and rescue team by sharing the message of the Gospel today.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 11:16 AM
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