Salvation has come
by Neil Bergmann
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For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).
Read Luke 19:1–10
In today’s story about Zacchaeus, Jesus tells us who he came to save – the lost. Zacchaeus was one of the lost. Often, as I read stories of Jesus’ encounters with different people during his travels, I wonder what the backstory of each character might have been. Why did these people seek out Jesus, or in some cases, why did Jesus seek them out? It can be useful to consider such questions, especially when they highlight possible meanings of a story for us today.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector, which meant he was a type of Roman collaborator, probably despised by many. The text suggests that he had cheated others for his own profit while collecting taxes. He was too short to see Jesus, but nobody made room for him. Maybe he had always been rejected by others, always an outsider, and that was why he became a dishonest tax collector. Whatever the situation, the people were too busy crowding around Jesus to make room for Zacchaeus.
When Jesus acknowledged Zacchaeus, the crowd grumbled. Didn’t Jesus know what sort of person he was?
Are we sometimes like the crowd, too quick to form a holy huddle around Jesus, leaving no room for others, too quick to ignore those who don’t fit in? Jesus had no qualms about accepting Zacchaeus, and this encounter with Jesus turned his life around. For once, he was accepted just as he was.
This story calls us to seek the lost because when we make room for them to encounter Jesus and his salvation, they are likely to be transformed as well. A challenge for the outreach mission of all congregations is to identify where they can go to seek the lost and make room for everyone to encounter Jesus.
Lord, help us to seek the lost. Lead us in our mission plans, and give us eyes to see where your call is taking us, individually and as faith communities. Amen.
Neil Bergmann is a lay deacon at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He is a member of the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology (ISCAST). He enjoys their biennial conferences about science and faith in conversation.
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