Scripture
Jesus and Zacchaeus
1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
5When 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.”
6Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
8Meanwhile, 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!”
9Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man[1] came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Translation notes (1)
- 19:10 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
9Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man[1] came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Translation notes (1)
- 19:10 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
When we think about meeting needs, we often think of physical needs. We often think of financial needs, health needs, needs for shelter, food, clothing, and more. These are, indeed, essential needs. As followers of Jesus, however, we know there are even greater spiritual needs around us. After all, Jesus taught that there is a lost and hurting world around us in need of the hope that He has to offer.
Jesus spent a lot of time meeting physical needs around Him, but He also addressed spiritual needs. For example, Jesus met Zaccheaus's spiritual needs in Luke 19. In this chapter, Jesus went into the town of Jericho, walking through the town. A tax collector there named Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but he could not see Him over the gathered crowd. Being inventive, Zacchaeus climbed up a tree so that he could see Him. Jesus saw him in the tree, told him to come down, and invited Himself to Zacchaeus's house.
Zacchaeus was thrilled that Jesus would come over to His 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). Jesus addressed Zacchaeus's most profound need: salvation. After all, Jesus came to save the lost.
Friends, we must be people who see not only physical needs but also spiritual needs. After all, every person's greatest need is salvation in Jesus. If we want to point others to Christ, we need to open our eyes to the spiritual needs around us, form friendships, and share about Christ when opportunities come to do this. May God give each one of us a burden for the deep spiritual needs around us.
Moving toward action
Spend some time praying. Ask God to give you a burden for the spiritual needs around you. Then, ask Him to help you be observant to notice these needs when you are around them. After praying, spend some time reviewing The Difference One Life Can Make website, where you can prepare for opportunities to share your faith when they come so that you can respond well to spiritual needs when they come up.
Going Deeper
Luke 19:1-10 (NLT)
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