And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10)

He Came To Save Those Who Refuse Him

For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son to bear the body of flesh as a man, suffer the pains of crucifixion, and raise Jesus from the dead. There is no greater sacrifice. Nothing man can imagine in his wisdom can equal the story of Jesus Christ. God became flesh, and then God died. The image of the eternal took on the image of corruption. Spirit possessed flesh. Jesus gave up his divine privileges and took the humble position of a slave. God was born as a human being. He was obedient to the point of death. The cruel hatred of humanity was unleashed with all the fury of the evil one upon the Son of God. He was despised and rejected.

The prophet Isaiah described Jesus as a man of sorrows, acquainted with the deepest grief. When Jesus came from the Father, humanity did not embrace the Son of God. They (we) turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. They beat Jesus, spit on Him, mocked Him, and treated the divine Beloved as nothing, and no one cared. Everything that was done to Jesus was not because of anything He had done. Throughout His life, Jesus showed love and compassion. His teachings embraced the mercy and love of God. He reminded the people of the wrath of God, and Jesus would often challenge the hypocrisy of those who claimed to follow the law. Through His many miracles, the man from Nazareth proved without a shadow of a doubt, He was divine. Who but God can raise the dead, calm the sea, heal all diseases, and cast out demons? Jesus was pierced for our rebellion and crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole and whipped so we could be healed.

Zacchaeus was a man with a heavy burden. When he heard Jesus passing by, he climbed into a sycamore tree to see Jesus. The Lord approached the wealthy tax collector and declared He was going to the house of Zacchaeus. Upon the confession of the chief tax collector, Jesus announced the joy of salvation at the home of Zacchaeus as the son of Abraham. The Lord declared His purpose in coming to the world of sin and sorrow: He came to seek and save that which was lost. Jesus did not have to look far to find those who were lost. They were all around Him. Zacchaeus had found salvation in Jesus Christ but what about his neighbors? What became of those in the crowd that followed the Lord? Did they find salvation that day?

Leaving the area of Jericho, the Lord comes to Jerusalem with the status of a conquering king. As the Lord rode a colt into the city, the people threw clothes on the road. Drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude began to shout with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen Jesus perform. They heralded Jesus as the blessed King coming in the name of the Lord. It was an amazing scene that stirred up the city as Jesus entered the city of David. Jesus was seen in all His glory. It did not last. Five days later, they crucified Jesus.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost, but most of the lost want to remain lost. They refuse to accept Jesus as the Son of God. It is not a small number who have no interest in what Jesus came to do but a vast number of souls who live every day oblivious to God’s saving grace. The story of Jesus is one of redemption and rejection by those who heard His voice, saw His miracles, and walked in His footsteps. They killed Jesus within a few years of His ministry beginning. The charges made against Him were made by liars, and they murdered an innocent man. Jesus died to save men today. Look around the world. How many are taking notice of what Jesus did?

How sad to know the Son of God – the Son of the Most High Almighty Living God – came to earth to save everyone – and only a few will listen, and fewer will be saved. The greatest tragedy of the final day of judgment when all men stand before the throne of God is for every eye to see the face of Jesus and to know they rejected the only hope of salvation given to men – and there is nothing more they can do. Jeremy Taylor said, “Life is short, and yet upon this short life, eternity depends.” Our short life must accept that Jesus Christ is Lord and King. We must do His will. Not just have a good talk about Him and say we love Him. If we do not obey the will of the Father, we are lost – damned to hell. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. If you are lost – He came for you. What are you going to do about it lost person?