Sermon: Missional Savior
Bible Passage: Luke 19:1-11
I. Luke 19:1-10 is a pronouncement story
1. A brief narrative (a real story) with a climatic saying at the end of the story
2. This climatic saying is in response to something said or observed in a situation
3. Two main parts of a pronouncement story: (1) the pronouncement and (2) its setting
a. Something unusual
b. Objection from an unfriendly audience
c. Resolution-unusual
d. Pronouncement
3. In this (Luke 19:1-10) pronouncement story, Christology is more important than other details such as:
a. The shortness of Zacchaeus
b. Climbing on a tree
c. Sycamore tree
Luke 19:1-10
II. We need to work backward (from the pronouncement saying to the narrative)
1. Jesus tells (pronounces) His mission i.e., “He came to seek and save the lost (verse 10)”—Shepherd’s imagery (cf. Ezek 34)
a. In this story, Zacchaeus is “the lost one” (he represents all the “lost ones” of this world)
b. The “lost” ones don’t know that they are lost, and they need a Savior to rescue them
c. If someone is “lost,” they tend to fill their lives with worldly substitutes
d. People hated Zacchaeus because he collaborated with the Romans—wrong association
e. His profession and association got him an identity “sinner” (verse 7)
f. Though he was a Jew, he was excluded from the mainstream—he did not fit in the definition of a Jew
2. Jesus demonstrated that He is a missional Savior by inviting Himself to Zacchaeus’ house
a. The Missional Savior goes after the “lost” (verse 5)
i. Jesus knew exactly where Zacchaeus was
ii. Nothing can prevent Jesus from seeking after the lost—“I must stay at your house today” (verse 5)
b. Zacchaeus was secretly seeking to see Jesus (verse 2), but he never expected that Jesus would seek after him (verse 10)
3. Jesus brought salvation to Zacchaeus, the unlikeliest (verse 9)
a. Salvation—forgiveness of sin, reuniting with God, life in this world, and life in the world to come
b. Salvation brought inward changes in Zacchaeus’ life (verse 8)
i. He started thinking about others—“poor”
ii. He wanted to set right his relationship with those he offended
iii. He demonstrated evidence of salvation
c. His alienation is changed—“He is also a son of Abraham” (not necessarily through his Jewish race, but through Jesus)
4. People around Jesus are foil for Jesus
a. People see you what you are, based on your externals and may prevent you from coming to Jesus (verse 3)
b. Jesus sees you differently—“I must remain in your house today”
c. You may isolate yourself because of the stereotypes (v. 4)
d. Jesus seeks after the unlikeliest (vv. 9-10)
III. Observations
1. Jesus seeks and saves sinners
a. God’s grace reaches to the most undeserved
b. It looks scandalous—Grace is forever scandalous because it is forever undeserved
c. Grace is a scandal because it insists on including those whom we wish to exclude
d. The story of Zacchaeus illustrates such grace. It ends not with Zacchaeus seeking Jesus but in Jesus seeking him, not in Zacchaeus’s moral perfection, but with his recovery and restoration as a “son of Abraham (James R Edwards)
2. Salvation produces foundational changes in individuals
3. There is a connection between money and transformation
4. When a person does not have right relationship with God, he may tend to derive satisfaction from transient sources such as money, alcohol, etc. (elaborate on this point)
5. Christians must not reject people because they do not fit in their definition of Christianity (stop being the Pharisees!)
6. Create an environment for people to come to Jesus
7. Just as Jesus did not judge persons like Zacchaeus, we must not judge people based on our standard
8. Nationality, color, language, caste, economic status must not dictate your initiative, but your initiative must stem from the worth of a person
Take Away:
Make intentional relationships outside of your comfort zones, so that you can become an agent of divine transformation