Nothing happens by accident. Every encounter you have with someone is part of the pre-determined plan of a Sovereign God. When Jesus passed through Jericho, he met a man. More importantly a man met him. Think about the time when you “met” Jesus for the very first time. Maybe it was through a loving conversation with a coworker. Maybe it was through a tragedy, and someone shared the hope of Jesus with you. Maybe it was through an Easter church gathering that you were invited to attend. I can promise you this – you will never forget that moment. It changed everything for you.
The man’s name was Zacchaeus, and he was a tax collector. In our modern day, that was the equivalent of someone siding with Communist China over the United States of America. To finance their great empire, the Romans levied heavy taxes on all of the nations that were under their control. The Jews opposed these taxes for a number of reasons. One of which was the fact that their money went to the worship of the pagan gods of Rome. Another one was the fact that they gouged the Jews taking much of their prosperity away from them. Therefore, tax collectors were among the most hated people in all of Judea. Jews by birth, who chose to work for Rome as tax collectors, were considered the ultimate traitors. To make matters worse, tax collectors would dishonestly gouge the people by collecting a percentage for themselves above what Rome required, and there was nothing the people could do to stop it.
It's amazing to think that despite the fact that Zacchaeus was both a cheater and a traitor, Jesus loved him. Jesus loves you no matter what you have done in your past. I had a conversation with a man in our church recently who has been feeling the “weight of the past.” I lovingly reminded him that his past is “under the blood of Jesus Christ” because of The Cross. God wants you to live in his grace and not the guilt of your past. Will you give your life to Jesus today? If you’ve already given your life to Jesus, will you begin to prioritize what he calls important?
Zacchaeus was in “the chase!” He was wealthy, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy him. When he heard that Jesus was coming to town, he made sure to drop what he was doing and to go and see him. He was the perfect example of a “seeker.” He was interested, but he needed to take the plunge! Many people are the same way. Maybe you are. You have an insatiable desire to learn more about God, though you’re not yet a follower of Jesus. In our present sermon series through the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, the woman Lydia was this type of person. She was “religious,” but she needed a relationship. Maybe that’s you. The Bible is very clear that Jesus is the only way to God the Father and to eternal life in heaven (John 14:6).
A good friend of mine was in “the chase” when God decided to change the trajectory of his life. He was a successful businessman living for all of the things of this world, when he had a traumatic car accident. It left him with a very small percentage chance of survival…BUT GOD! That’s right, God wasn’t and isn’t done with him! Since that accident, his priorities have changed. He now passionately serves the Lord and caring for the kind of people in our culture that most “throw away.” Why? Because he found his purpose. Have you found your purpose?
Easter Sunday for 2025 is over. The Gospel isn’t. God’s purpose for your life isn’t. Some of the most bitter and sad people in this world have the most prosperity, power, and position. How is that possible? It’s because they are in the “wrong chase!” Instead, let us apply the amazing words of Jesus in John 15:9-11: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
What are you “chasing after” in your life? What if our attitude was like the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:10-14: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
The man’s name was Zacchaeus, and he was a tax collector. In our modern day, that was the equivalent of someone siding with Communist China over the United States of America. To finance their great empire, the Romans levied heavy taxes on all of the nations that were under their control. The Jews opposed these taxes for a number of reasons. One of which was the fact that their money went to the worship of the pagan gods of Rome. Another one was the fact that they gouged the Jews taking much of their prosperity away from them. Therefore, tax collectors were among the most hated people in all of Judea. Jews by birth, who chose to work for Rome as tax collectors, were considered the ultimate traitors. To make matters worse, tax collectors would dishonestly gouge the people by collecting a percentage for themselves above what Rome required, and there was nothing the people could do to stop it.
It's amazing to think that despite the fact that Zacchaeus was both a cheater and a traitor, Jesus loved him. Jesus loves you no matter what you have done in your past. I had a conversation with a man in our church recently who has been feeling the “weight of the past.” I lovingly reminded him that his past is “under the blood of Jesus Christ” because of The Cross. God wants you to live in his grace and not the guilt of your past. Will you give your life to Jesus today? If you’ve already given your life to Jesus, will you begin to prioritize what he calls important?
Zacchaeus was in “the chase!” He was wealthy, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy him. When he heard that Jesus was coming to town, he made sure to drop what he was doing and to go and see him. He was the perfect example of a “seeker.” He was interested, but he needed to take the plunge! Many people are the same way. Maybe you are. You have an insatiable desire to learn more about God, though you’re not yet a follower of Jesus. In our present sermon series through the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, the woman Lydia was this type of person. She was “religious,” but she needed a relationship. Maybe that’s you. The Bible is very clear that Jesus is the only way to God the Father and to eternal life in heaven (John 14:6).
A good friend of mine was in “the chase” when God decided to change the trajectory of his life. He was a successful businessman living for all of the things of this world, when he had a traumatic car accident. It left him with a very small percentage chance of survival…BUT GOD! That’s right, God wasn’t and isn’t done with him! Since that accident, his priorities have changed. He now passionately serves the Lord and caring for the kind of people in our culture that most “throw away.” Why? Because he found his purpose. Have you found your purpose?
Easter Sunday for 2025 is over. The Gospel isn’t. God’s purpose for your life isn’t. Some of the most bitter and sad people in this world have the most prosperity, power, and position. How is that possible? It’s because they are in the “wrong chase!” Instead, let us apply the amazing words of Jesus in John 15:9-11: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
What are you “chasing after” in your life? What if our attitude was like the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:10-14: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”