Seeking the Lost

Changing the World God's Way

Study Guide Week Six

Message for Sunday October 14, 2018

This Week Reading:  Luke 19:1-10  Additional Reading: Luke 15:4-7; Ezekiel 34:11-16

Introduction

On occasion after a time of teaching or after an incident Jesus would summarize what point He was making. This is one of those occasions. Jesus' statement in verse 10 of Luke chapter 19 gives us the main point Jesus is making through this incident. Remember Jesus was always teaching both in word and deed (Acts 1:1). When we read an incident in the Bible we have to ask ourselves what is the lesson here for us? The lesson here was so important that Jesus spelled it out in black and white in verse 10. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus make the same point in Luke 15:4-7. Amazingly God the Father makes the same statement hundreds of years earlier in Ezekiel chapter 34 verses 11-16. Paul also make this statement in 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 15. First Jesus came to seek the lost. That means Jesus went to where they were and developed relationships with them. Second Jesus saved them. His purpose was that they would be forgiven and lived transformed lives. 

Jesus has demonstrated to us what the purpose of His followers must be: To seek and save the lost. To do this we must go to lost people and minster salvation in both word and deed. Satan seeks to stop us from seeking the lost. Satan was very effective in the time of Jesus in stopping God's followers from seeking lost people and Satan is effective today. Satan's strategy is to have followers of Jesus think that to be Holy they must separate from sinners. This is a Satanic strategy. The truth is that followers of Jesus become Holy so that they can seek lost people and be an example of a new way of living and bring the lost to that new way.

Background Information

There are three important groups in this incident that Jesus is connecting with. First the people (verse 7). This group most likely included many Pharisees and ordinary people who listened to the teaching in the synagogue each Sabbath day. This group's idea was that they should avoid sinners (group 2) and have nothing to do with them. They certainly believed that sinners could not have anything to do with God. In fact they desired that God would judge sinners and send them to Hell which was where the people believed the sinners belonged.

The second group is represented by Zacchaeus who the people call a sinner (again verse 7). Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of the city of Jericho an important City on a trade route and on the main road to the capital Jerusalem. A tax collector was a Jewish person who was working for the Roman government (the enemy and oppressor of the Jewish people). The tax collector would be assigned an area and required to collect and give the Roman government taxes and tribute from that area. Usually the the tax collectors were required to give a set amount per year and if they could collect more than that amount they could keep it for themselves. The people saw them as corrupt and greedy. Many tax collectors did cheat the people and take more than they needed to. The tax collectors had the vicious Roman army as their enforcers so many abuses occurred.  Zacchaeus had become very rich on the backs of his own people. He and others like him were hated by the people and religious leaders. Almost certainly Zacchaeus did not believe that he could be part of God's Kingdom because of how he lived. It is significant that Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus (whom he has apparently heard of) but that he does not go to Jesus or initiate any contact with Jesus. The religious people despised people like Zacchaeus. 

The third group are the disciples. They have been following Jesus for almost 3 years at this point. The word disciple (in Greek Matheteuo) literally means learner of or a dedicated student of. So a disciple of Jesus is a learner of Jesus. They are being taught in this incident of the mission or purpose they are to have - to seek and save the lost even despised wealthy tax collectors. They are being taught that they must go to sinners because many lost people will not come to them. They are being taught the importance of hospitality. Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus' home for a dinner. Zacchaeus throws a big dinner with all his friends and now a whole new network of people is opened up to be saved. Zacchaeus has a deep repentance which is evidenced by his giving half of what he has to the poor and he promises to return four fold what he has cheated people out of.  

Key Points

• Jesus calls us to go to people who are lost and not wait for them to come to church.

• Showing lost people loving hospitality in social settings will give us the opportunity to bring them to salvation 

• When Jesus comes into a person's life, and gains authority there, selfishness and dishonesty are irresistibly eradicated (N. Geldenhuys).

Digging Deeper Questions

1. Tell the flow of the incident in your own words. What was Zacchaeus' spiritual condition before he met Jesus?
What are some of the ways that people become lost today? What ways have you been lost?

2. Why did Jesus go to Zacchaeus and not the other way around?

3. What are some of the first things you would do if you knew Jesus was coming to your house?
Would you take more time preparing your heart or house?

4. In what ways can past sins and guilt keep you from wanting to be in the presence of Jesus?

5. The religious leaders in this story didn’t believe Zacchaeus deserved to have Jesus talk with him.
How can you fight against the attitude that some people are more deserving of grace while
others have fallen too far away?

6. Jesus didn’t mention anything about money, sin, or the need to repent when he was
talking with Zacchaeus. Do you associate the presence of Jesus with Holiness and the need of repentance?
Why or why not?

7. Why was it important for Zacchaeus to take actions that supported his change of heart?

8. Salvation coming to Zacchaeus’ house had nothing to do with him giving away his money.
Jesus was going to his house no matter the reaction.
Zacchaeus needed to refocus his heart and mind from money to Jesus.
What does it mean for believers today to not only repent, but to surrender the areas of their life
that are drawing them away from God? How do you do this?

(Taken from LifeGroup Bible Study)

Resource: Here is a link to a video of the scene from Luke 19:1-10

https://youtu.be/gcr7ZC9gx04

This Week's Challenge

Live this week on a mission to find a lost person and deliberately go to them to build a relationship.