But our Lord welcomed Himself into the home of this man. He who didn’t abhor the virgin’s womb, who was born in a feed trough, who would die a criminal’s death on an old rugged cross, who would be buried in a borrowed tomb, comes into the lowliest places and into the most detestable lives. He comes to dine, to fellowship, to commune. He came to me and to you, and He comes today by His Word and Spirit to all here who will have Him. I ask you, is this not the way we in the Church should conduct our churches, our missions?
We are at this time planting a daughter church. I bring on young men, provide an apprenticeship program for them and send them out to plant a church. I was meeting with my apprentice who is planting this church, and he told me that one of the people attending this start-up core group said she had a friend to invite to church. Kevin said, “That’s great.”
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The lady went on, “I’m afraid my friend is an atheist.” Kevin repeated, “That’s great!” She said, “You’re not getting it. She is into the occult! She is not a nice woman.” Kevin said again, “That’s great.” The woman was amazed and told Kevin in so many words, “I’ve been searching for this kind of church all of my life!” A place where ragamuffins can have a seat at the table.
In Zacchaeus’ Gospel, Jesus welcomes sinners. Thank God. But, please note what the welcome of Jesus did to this man’s heart. It says in verse 6: “So he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully.”
Unrestrained joy is the response to God’s grace. When we preach grace, when we really unleash the Gospel of salvation by the grace of God in Christ, not of works, hurting people, people trapped in their own pain and guilt will begin to drop down out of the trees like old Zacchaeus.
I can remember as if it were yesterday when I heard the words, “by grace are ye saved through faith.” To think that God would welcome me into His kingdom with all of my guilt, all of my pain, and all of my past! O what a glorious Gospel! This is what we are to do on our missions: to go out and bring them in to the feast! To invite the sinners to come and feast on the magnificent feast of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
Don’t worry about your garments of works. Forget your old rags of religion. Come as you are. He is rich enough to clothe you with all you will need to be seated before the King.
So, this is the second point in Zacchaeus’ Gospel, “He welcomed me.” But, the final point would in be these words:
“He Changed Me”
We have all heard that medical research has determined that infants who are held, who are touched, develop better emotionally and even physically than those left alone. That is, I think, a truism for all of our experience. The touch of Jesus changed Zacchaeus. He developed. He became human.