RESILIENT Series, part III “What do you do when you’re lost?”

RESILIENT Series, part III

“What do you do when you’re lost?”

by Pastor Kent Munsey

August 29, 2021

He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since he was about to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.”

So he quickly came down and welcomed him joyfully. All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to stay with a sinful man.”

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.”

“Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:1-10 (CSB)

All it takes is one encounter with Jesus to change a generation. Jesus explains that deliverance came to Zacchaeus’ house on this day because he too is a son of Abraham. He is a child of promise. God made a covenant with a chosen people, the Jewish people, and he chose that through them all of the earth would be blessed.

In the text, Jesus describes seeking and finding the lost. “Lost” means to be in the wrong place. Jesus is taking a moment to define Zacchaeus as a son of Abraham. However, the people in Jericho had already defined him. They defined him as a tax collector.

Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of Jericho. Moreover, Jericho was a wealthy city. In that way, it was probably similar to Chicago - one of the wealthiest urban cities in North America. Jericho was a city of great wealth, and Rome was governing Jericho. Tax collectors during that time were known to overcharge and behave with corruption. The people of that day had great disdain for those that were trained and empowered by Rome to tax because they would commit fraud and steal.

We are introduced to Zaccheaus as rich, short, and a tax collector. But, Jesus says that Zaccheaus is a son of Abraham. Zacchaeus' name means righteous and pure. Zacchaeus had lost himself. All of us can relate to losing ourselves.

When Jesus said that he needed to stay at Zacchaeus' house, the Bible says that Zacchaeus welcomed him joyfully. Jesus came to look for that which was lost. Zacchaeus had lost himself. He went from being righteous and pure to corrupted and in sin--and yet, he was seeking Jesus.

Luke 15 talks about a lost coin, a lost sheep, and a lost son. It gives us great insight into how easy it is for us to lose ourselves. The coin didn’t get lost. Money’s value is determined by where we place it. Money goes where it is sent or stewarded. The lost coin represents value. The coin was lost because it was misplaced. We devalue something when we put it in the wrong place; we increase the value of something when we put it in the right place. Moreover, the coin doesn’t find itself. Oftentimes we lose ourselves because we misplace the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given to us.

Similarly, with sheep, they are designed and created to live in community. The Bible says that it is not good for man to be alone. It is also not good for sheep to be alone. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, when sheep are alone, they are not protected and are more vulnerable to the enemy. While sheep eat and graze, they look out for one another. Moreover, they follow one another. They have leader sheep which provide protection when they are in community.

The coin was misplaced, but the sheep were displaced. When we are displaced we start to devalue our position. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves displaced.

Finally, there is the lost son. When we look at the prodigal son, we see very similar things happen. The prodigal son took his inheritance, went to a far-off place, and squandered his wealth. The Bible says that he came to himself. One translation says he came to his senses. He said that in his father’s home, even the hired servants were eating better than he was eating. His idea was to go home, repent, and serve as his father’s hired servant.

When we lose ourselves, we need to cultivate self-awareness. Zacchaeus and the prodigal son both put themselves in a position to be confronted. Zacchaeus went up into the tree because he could not see Jesus over the crowd with his short stature. The prodigal son traveled back to his father’s home. Your self-talk is important. You can never be so far outside of God’s love that you cannot call out to him.

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever put yourself in a position to see Jesus like Zacchaeus, but others were critical of you because of your past or their perception of you?

2. Have you ever lost or displaced yourself?

3. What gifts, talents, or relationships have you devalued that God put into your life?

4. Are you ready to go back to your Heavenly Father and be welcomed the way the prodigal son’s father welcomed him?