We have talked all week about speaking in truth along with grace and love. This is no easy feat. Our natural tendency, after all, is to respond in selfishness and even impatience when we encounter people who are hard to love. As we think about how to model speaking in truth and in grace and love, perhaps the best way to learn how to live this way is to see an example so that we can have a better picture of how to speak the truth while simultaneously showing grace and love. Of course, no one modeled this better than Jesus.
Jesus modeled grace and truth in many interactions with the people around Him. One of these interactions that was recorded in Luke 19 involved a tax collector named Zacchaeus. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus went into the town of Jericho. While He was there, a tax collector named Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but he could not see Him over the gathered crowd. Remember, tax collectors were despised during Jesus' day because they collected taxes from the Jewish people on behalf of Rome and often took more money from them than was required and pocketed the extra for themselves. As a result, no self-respecting Jew would associate with a tax collector.
Being inventive, Zacchaeus climbed up a tree so that he could see Jesus. While most Jews, especially religious leaders, would have ignored Zacchaeus, Jesus did not. Jesus saw him in the tree, told him to come down, and invited Himself to Zacchaeus's house (verse 6). We do not know about the conversations between Jesus and Zacchaeus, but we know that Zacchaeus recognized that he had been sinning and needed to stop cheating people on their taxes (verse 8). With this change of heart, Jesus announced, "Salvation has come to this home today… for the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost" (verse 10). What a truth and grace-filled conversation! Zacchaeus could not keep living like he had been. He could also find salvation in Jesus by turning to Him. After all, Jesus’ entire mission on earth was to seek out those who are lost.
In a world where people avoided sinners, refusing to show them grace, Jesus sought them out. He always called out sin, but He always offered grace. What a model Jesus set for us! Let's commit to following in the example of our Savior and seek out the lost, speaking the truth with grace and love.
One of the best ways to follow in Jesus' example of seeking out the lost is inviting them to one of our weekend services. Who can you invite to come to church with you this weekend who needs the hope of Christ? Invite them today to one of our services. You may never know the impact your invitation might have!
1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
5 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.”
6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
8 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!”
9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
11 The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. 12 He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ 14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’
15 “After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. 16 The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’
17 “‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’
18 “The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’
19 “‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’
20 “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. 21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’
22 “‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, 23 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
24 “Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’
25 “‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’
26 “‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 27 And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’”
