Rich and Lost

Luke 19:10 -    ^“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

As Jesus passed through Jericho the last time before his crucifixion, Luke records two specific people whose lives were changed by him. They could not have been more different. Bartimaeus was a blind, poor beggar. Zacchaeus was one of the richest men in town. Yet, both were lost without Jesus. His words in verse 10 identify Zacchaeus explicitly as being lost.

It is easy to see the poor, the oppressed, and the enslaved as lost and hopeless. In our capitalistic society, the pursuit of wealth is almost a religion in itself. Those who have it are the envy of those who do not. Wealth promises to provide everything, but it does not save. Those who are rich and lost are just as lost as those who are poor and blind.

Like many, but certainly not all, wealthy people today, Zacchaeus’ life had been about himself. He betrayed his own people to work for the occupying Roman government to collect taxes and keep some extra for himself (See Luke 3:12-13). As chief tax collector, he got in on Rome’s multi-level marketing scheme and hired others like himself to collect the taxes while skimming some of their proceeds along the way. He got rich, very rich. He seemed to have it all, yet something was missing.

When Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming to town, “he wanted to see who Jesus was.” (Luke 19:3) He must have been aware that, in spite of all his wealth, he still had an enormous lack.  That need could never be filled by more money or status. He needed a changed life.

Because Zacchaeus was short, he had to climb a tree to see Jesus, and, as with Bartimaeus, in an enormous crowd of people seeking Jesus’ attention, Jesus stopped and gave his complete focus to this rich man. He even said, “I must stay at your house today.” (vs 5) Rather than seeing Jesus as an uninvited guest, Zacchaeus took this opportunity to repent: he did not just say he wanted Jesus’ attention, he was committed to change the way he lived. Zacchaeus’ change of heart, commitment to act on that change, and reception of Jesus led Jesus to say, “Salvation has entered this house.” (vs 9)

Whether any of us is rich or poor, blind or healthy, we are lost without Jesus. Invite him to your home and life today.