Happy New Year. It's good to see all of you this morning. Turn in your Bibles, if you would
! please, to Luke chapter 18. And if you're using the pew Bible in front of you, it's on page 878.
Luke chapter 18. We're picking up our series in Luke and hope to finish this off by the end of May.
So we're kind of in the last leg, as it were, the final week of Jesus's life in ministry.
And we're kind of making our way from Jericho up to Jerusalem. And we find ourselves this morning
in Jericho, which is about 15 miles away from Jerusalem, as Jesus sets his sights on this final
objective. This morning, one of the questions that we're going to find that Jesus asks is found in
chapter 18, verse 41. And it goes like this. Jesus asks the blind man, what do you want for me to do
for you? What do you want for me to do for you? If Jesus were to ask you that question this morning,
how would you answer? What do you want for me to do for you? How would you fill in the blank?
What is the deepest longing of your life? What is the thing in your heart that if Jesus can help
to provide resolution to that thing, whatever it is, how would you answer that question? What do you
want for me to do for you? And of course, at the end of our passage, we'll find the mission statement
of Christ that he's come to seek and to save the lost. I think we're really experts when it comes to
answering this question, at least from a superficial level. I mean, we've just come through the Christmas
season. And so even at a very early age, we've kind of conditioned ourselves to answer this question,
what should I do for you? Or what do you want for Christmas? Create your list and give it to me,
and I'll make sure that I am helping to provide whatever is on that list. We condition ourselves
or even our children, our culture is conditioning us, even at an early age, how to fill in that blank,
as it were. Matter of fact, I was fascinated to find that millions of children, even around the world,
in as many as 200 different countries, will follow and track Santa Claus online through the North American
Aerospace Defense Command Santa tracker. You aware of this? At least 100,000 children actually even call
into the hotline, where is Santa right now? And they'll have an answer. Mall Santas. Maybe you're acquainted
with them, or even have taken your kids to sit on Santa's lap, to give him their list, to take a picture.
Not saying that that's wrong, just something we do to condition ourselves to think about how to answer
this question. As many as 18 million children will go see Santa Claus in the store. And millions of
children and adults around the world will write to Santa each year. Either a personal letter,
the USPS says that they've received as many as 23,000 physical letters this past year to Santa Claus.
They've created even a way to create a letter online so that in France, about almost 2 million
children or people will write a letter to Santa. In Canada, about 1.3 million. And here in the States,
about 1 million children and adults will write a letter to Santa. We've conditioned ourselves to answer
this question. What would you have for me to do for you? And maybe I'll need to graduate this
illustration a little bit so that we can all maybe resonate a bit with the tension of this. How many of
you have experienced or maybe even participated this past year in having given or received a gift that
wasn't quite exactly the way you wanted it to be? It wasn't the right color. It wasn't the right brand.
It wasn't the right kind. It didn't have the right features. And so it really wasn't what you asked for or what you wanted. And so you're a little frustrated.
And the registries that we have that not just that I need something fill in the blank, but I need a specific kind of something with certain features. Like I want the 12 cup coffee machine and not the 10 cupper. I don't want the kind that heats.
I want the thermos kind that sits and stays warm inside. I want the kind with the reservoir. Not that you have to fill with the pot itself, but you detach the reservoir. You know what I'm talking about, right?
And so when Jesus would ask us this question, what would I have you? What would you have for me to do for you?
Not only is there a blindness in our own heart to what our true need is, there is this affection for things that are completely other than what Jesus intends to give to us.
The things, by the way, the things that actually meet our deepest need.
The things that will fill us up in a way that nothing can actually fill up other than Christ.
So in our time today, I want to help us be able not only to answer this question, what would I have for you to do for me?
But to understand from Jesus' perspective, what he came to do, the very purpose that Jesus came to fill.
That is what we're going to find in our passage today.
Two purpose statements of Jesus.
And then two examples of individuals who surprisingly get to enjoy the benefits of what Jesus has come to do.
And they participate.
They enjoy the experience, the blessing of that purpose of God for their life.
Now this is significant for us, especially at the beginning of a year.
We're heading into 2025.
And my guess is there's a number of pressures and challenges and distractions, maybe frustrations and problems, maybe even joys and things that are thrilling you.
Those good things and hard things.
Those great things that you're celebrating.
Those things that you're grieving.
Whatever it might be.
It is so significant for us to enter this year, 2025, being able to answer this question.
What would you have for me to do for you?
So we have a lot of ground to cover, but I want to do it in a little different way.
So please bear with me.
My goal this morning is just to draw out some of the statements in the text today.
We're not going to have time to dig in and to develop the specifics of every word or phrase in this pretty extensive passage.
But I want to just draw out for us and think about and meditate on and digest some of the things that are taking place in this passage.
So we can really appreciate how to answer this question.
It is the quintessential question of 2025.
It really is the ultimate question you could ever answer.
What would you have for me to do for you?
So if you're with me in Luke chapter 18, beginning in verse 31,
we're going to see that Jesus, this first purpose that he will explain to his disciples
is that Jesus came to provide a way of salvation.
Jesus came to provide a way of salvation.
You and I need salvation and rescue.
But maybe not the rescue or the deliverance or the help that you think you need.
Jesus came to provide a way of salvation.
We're going to see what that looks like here, beginning in verse 31.
It says,
And after flogging him, they will kill him.
And on the third day, he will rise.
But they understood none of these things.
This saying was hidden from them.
And they did not grasp what he said.
Jesus came to provide a way of salvation.
He does that and accomplishes that through his obedience.
That's what we're going to see first.
He accomplished that through his obedience.
Now, it's not spelled out explicitly here in the text.
But I want to draw your attention to two statements right at the beginning
that help us understand what it means that he's going to Jerusalem.
What's the big deal?
Well, Jesus says, we're going to Jerusalem.
Why?
Because we need to accomplish something.
There's a destiny.
There's a purpose to fulfill.
That purpose is to accomplish all the things that were spoken about by the prophets.
And Jesus, throughout his ministry, has conditioned his heart and spoken the words
and ordered his life in obedience to God the Father to carry out his will.
He does this through obedience.
We see Christ's obedience in these statements.
And these events in Jericho, by the way, probably happened on a Friday, okay?
And it was the Friday before Good Friday.
So we're talking about just a week away.
Jesus is in Jericho.
And in just seven days, he's going to die.
He's going to be on the cross.
Good Friday has happened.
That's why we're in this last week, this Passion Week, as it were,
he's here.
The moment has come.
And Jesus is wanting to help describe his disciples what is about to go down in Jerusalem
and why it matters.
So Jesus is there.
And Jesus would spend the night on Friday with Zacchaeus.
Jesus and a band of disciples.
This massive crowd of pilgrims would make their way up to Jerusalem on Saturday.
On Sunday, likely Jesus would ride into Jerusalem.
And that would be his triumphal entry.
And then the rest of the week would happen.
And on Friday, he would die.
So what Jesus says here is significant.
These are kind of the parting words that we're beginning to hear from his mouth.
We're beginning to really understand what his life in ministry was all about.
But Jesus cares to convey to his disciples what's about to happen is not a surprise.
Jesus knows what his future holds.
And Jesus, being a man on a mission, we see that he's been making his way to Jerusalem now
for at least six months.
We find, going all the way back to Luke chapter 9, some statements that Jesus will make about his future.
In Luke chapter 9, verse 22, he tells his disciples the first time,
The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then a few verses later, after his transfiguration, we find in verse 44,
Let these words sing down in your ears.
The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.
But they did not understand the saying.
It was concealed from them so that they might not perceive it.
And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
And from this time in Galilee, we find that Jesus begins to set his face towards Jerusalem.
He understands what's ahead of him.
He recognizes what God's will is for him.
And it's to finally and ultimately arrive in Jerusalem to be the Passover lamb
and to be killed for the sins of the world.
We find in Luke chapter 9, verse 51 and 53,
When Jesus, the days drew near for him to be taken up,
he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
He sent messengers ahead of him who went and entered the village of Samaritans
to make preparations for him.
But the people did not receive him because his face was set towards Jerusalem.
Then in Luke chapter 13, verse 22,
He went on his way through the towns and villages,
teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem.
Jesus knew the objective.
Jesus aligned his heart in life to carry out that objective
because Jesus alone is the way of salvation.
So why did he go?
Why did he do this?
Why didn't he just run away?
Because Jesus was committed to the will of God.
Jesus aligned his heart and life in obedience and submission to the Father.
So that we find in Philippians 2, 8,
Being found in the human form,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Jesus was not a victim of tragic circumstances.
Jesus boldly and clearly and obediently made his way to Jerusalem,
knowing that that's the will of the Father.
Jesus was fulfilling God's plan.
The plan that wasn't just hidden from Jesus.
It was open to Jesus.
But it was a plan, as we see here in our text,
a plan that had been laid out by the prophets
before Jesus even became a man.
It's a plan, a master plan of God the Father
going all the way back into the Old Testament.
Notice verse 31, it says,
Everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets
will be accomplished or will be fulfilled.
This in the Greek is a divine passive,
which means that it is something that God himself will do.
He is the divine actor.
He is the one who initiates.
He's the one who puts his plan into action.
And when God is putting his plans into action,
you can count on the fact that they will happen.
Jesus knew what he was doing.
The prophets knew what he was doing.
And ultimately, this way,
this way of salvation would come
not only through the obedience of Christ,
but it would also be accomplished through his sacrifice.
His sacrifice.
Obedience and sacrifice.
We find that in verse 32.
He will be delivered over the Gentiles.
He will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.
After flogging him, they will kill him.
And on the third day, he will rise.
Why?
Why such a gruesome and tragic death?
The reason for the sacrifice is to help us understand
that salvation is not free.
Salvation is not free.
Salvation is costly.
It cost Jesus everything.
It cost his life.
It cost his dignity.
It cost shame and rejection
from the very people who he came to save.
It was in accord with the prophet Isaiah
in Isaiah 53 verses 4 to 5,
which says,
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows.
Yet, we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
Upon him was the chastisement
that brought us peace.
And with his wounds, we are healed.
Jesus' costly, sacrificial death
was to demonstrate the cost of your sin and my sin.
Sin demanded something costly.
It demanded the life of our Savior.
Salvation that our minds cannot grasp
without the power of God.
Notice how clear the statements were
that Jesus had said now three times.
And notice what the response is from the disciples.
The disciples are hearing this.
And how do they respond?
This three-fold response that we find in verse 34.
But they understood none of these things.
This saying was hidden from them.
They did not grasp what was said.
Why would Luke share this three times
to drive home the point?
The way of salvation is clear
when the Lord allows you to see
your need for salvation.
You see, the expectation,
the blindness of the disciples,
they're followers of Jesus,
they're hearing his teaching,
but they're still blinded
to the real purpose
that Jesus has come to resolve in them.
They're blind to the real need that they have.
They're thinking about something physical.
They're thinking about something superficial.
They want Jesus to come
and to be the Lord
and to overcome the Roman Empire.
They want deliverance
from their physical oppression.
And Jesus came to give them
something greater,
something better.
They could not see it.
And that is often the case for us.
We're like the disciples.
We're blinded by our own thoughts,
our own perspectives
of what our real need is.
And Jesus has come to meet
our deepest need.
And only with Jesus' help
can we really begin to understand
how to come to appreciate
and discover what that really is.
We need the Spirit's help
to open blind eyes like the disciples,
to open our eyes,
to open our minds,
to see what is my true need.
Because Jesus came to resolve
our deepest need.
In the next two accounts or narratives,
we find some examples.
Some examples of how to enjoy
and experience
what Jesus has come to offer.
We find in verses 35 to 43
that this blind man's example of faith.
Surprising example of faith.
Notice with me in verse 35.
As he drew near,
speaking of Jesus,
to Jericho,
a blind man was sitting
by the roadside begging.
And hearing a crowd going by,
he inquired what this meant.
They told him,
Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.
And he cried out,
Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me.
And those who were in front
rebuked him,
telling him to be silent.
But he cried out all the more,
Son of David,
have mercy on me.
And Jesus stopped
and commanded him
to be brought to him.
And when he came near,
he asked him,
what do you want me to do for you?
He said,
Lord,
let me recover my sight.
And Jesus said to him,
recover your sight.
Your faith has made you well.
And immediately,
he received his sight
and followed him,
glorifying God
and all the people
when they saw it,
gave praise to God.
The blind man's example of faith
that begins,
by the way,
with a plea for mercy.
He pleads for Christ's mercy.
That's how it begins.
Jericho was about 15 to 17 miles
away from Jerusalem.
It was a massive climb
up this steep hill,
weaving its way up to Jerusalem.
This blind man,
he sits in the dust
by the roadside.
He's expecting the generosity,
the pity,
you might say,
the compassion
and generosity,
you might say,
of the crowds
that are making their way
to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem would have experienced
or swelled
about two to three million
in size
during the Passover event
as all these pilgrims
are required to come.
This is one of the three
pilgrimages
that were required
for every Jewish male
in the first century.
Here he is,
this blind man,
sitting by the road,
asking for pity
and mercy
from the crowds.
And Jesus,
surrounded by this crowd
of people,
has gained their attention
in some way.
They know,
he knows that this crowd
is dense.
He knows that the numbers
of people
that are traveling
in this concentrated bunch
must have something to do
with the central figure
of that group.
And so,
so this blind man
asks some members
of the crowd
what's going on.
And he comes to,
to know that Jesus
of Nazareth
is passing through.
Now he's heard about Jesus,
about three years of ministry
have taken place,
and he recognizes
what Jesus can do
for his problem.
And so he says,
Jesus,
son of David,
have mercy on me.
This word for mercy
is the word for pity,
for compassion,
to extend help
for the consequences
of sin.
In some way,
this blind man
came to understand
and to know
that whatever he was
asking for
from Jesus
was not something
that he deserved.
He needed mercy.
He needed the compassionate
heart of Christ
to see his situation
and to help provide
some resolution.
But what's significant
about this statement,
Jesus,
son of David,
is that
in expressing
the identity
of Jesus
in this way,
he's not just
identifying Jesus
as a descendant
of David,
but using the title
of Messiahship.
He's come to recognize
that Jesus
is something
more than just
a significant figure.
Jesus is
the embodiment
of the one
that they were waiting for,
the Messiah himself.
And by addressing
Jesus as the son of David,
he was affirming
his faith
in Jesus
as Israel's Messiah.
This blind man
had a unique perception.
This is the first time
that Luke addresses
and uses this title
in his account,
in the gospel account
of Luke.
This is the first time
we see this title,
son of David.
It's an uncommon title
that's used anywhere
in the gospels.
Son of David.
It's only used
in two other situations
earlier in Christ's ministry
and used by
the gospel writer,
Matthew.
And maybe
not surprisingly,
it was a pair
of other blind men
who recognized
Jesus as the son of David
early in Jesus'
Galilean ministry
and cried for help.
Jesus,
son of David.
Very similar
to what we find
here in Jericho.
It was also
a Canaanite woman,
a Syrio-Phoenician woman,
who when she sees Jesus,
says,
Jesus,
son of David,
my daughter is severely
oppressed by a demon.
Will you help me?
This title,
son of David,
helps to identify Jesus
as more than just
a descendant of David,
but this blind man
understood the significance
of who Jesus was.
But notice the response
of the crowd,
and this is important
for us to see.
Those who were in front
of him rebuked him.
Be quiet.
Shut up.
Be still.
You're distracting
this situation
that's going on.
You're kind of a nuisance.
Keep it closed.
But what does he do?
This man cries out
all the more.
He was undeterred
by the crowd.
He doesn't listen
to the crowd.
He overcomes
the crowd
in any way
that he can.
He screams out
and says,
all the more.
Jesus,
son of David,
have mercy.
He was undeterred.
And in that respect,
he helps to demonstrate
the example
of moving back
even further
in Luke chapter 18,
where Jesus says
in verse 1
that he encourages
men to always pray
and not lose heart.
and then he uses
the example
of the woman
there
who's pleading
for mercy
from the unjust judge
and he's encouraging,
Jesus is encouraging
persistent faith
and asking
for help from God.
And here we find
the results
of that kind
of persistent faith.
Jesus is willing
to receive.
Jesus,
son of David,
have mercy
and Jesus
is more than willing
to demonstrate
that mercy.
And so we move
into the next several verses
beginning in verse 40.
And this blind man
receives Christ's healing
because of his
emboldened faith.
He receives
Christ's healing.
He experiences
what Christ has to offer.
Notice,
Jesus stopped
and commanded him
to be brought to him.
Now just notice
that for a moment,
will you?
Jesus,
this fourfold response,
he stops,
then he commands,
then he asks
the man to be brought
and then he heals.
Jesus
was not put out
by this distraction.
This distraction
was actually
by design
to call attention
to the means
by which
or the way
in which we
enjoy
in experiencing
the true healing
that God has to offer.
This way of salvation.
Jesus draws
the crowd in.
He wants them
to take notice.
He wants them
to have this
physical
portrayal
and demonstration
right up close
and personal.
He forces them
into
the process
of this healing
that's taking place.
Jesus
stops.
He waits.
He pauses.
This deliberate
waiting
in yielding
and allowing
the crowd
to settle down
and to even
part the way
and perhaps
somebody in the crowd
or maybe
the crowd in general
is helping
to guide
and to steer
This blind man
as he made
his way to Jesus
and they're all
going to be part
of this process
of seeing
this object lesson
that Jesus
wants them to learn.
Here's how
you enjoy
this way
of salvation.
It happens
through faith.
Jesus
is drawing
the crowd out
for that
very reason.
Jesus
capitalizes
on this opportunity.
while the question
in verse 41
may seem
so obvious
it may even
seem
a little
absurd
Jesus
asks it
anyway
what do you
want me
to do
for you?
Well Jesus
isn't it
obvious?
Isn't it
clear?
Well I wonder
maybe
it's clear
to us
because
we've read
the story
but the blind
man could
have said
any number
of things
he could
have said
Jesus
would you
fix my
economic
situation?
Jesus
would you
fix my
standing
in the
community?
Jesus
would you
give me
a better
place
to sit
so I don't
have to be
on this
dusty road?
Jesus
I want
the people
around me
to be
more empathetic
now he
doesn't ask
for that
he goes
to Jesus
and he
has this
eye for
mercy
and he
believes
two things
about him
he believes
that he's
the Messiah
and he
believes
that Jesus
can fix
his blindness
and Jesus
is more than
happy to
comply
Jesus
is more
than happy
to resolve
his
vision
problem
but he
gets more
than he
bargains
for
Jesus
says
recover
your sight
your faith
has made
you well
you are
looking for
something
physical
but because
of your
faith
in believing
who I
am
there is
so much
more to
offer
you
your faith
has made
you well
this is the
word
has saved
you
you're
enjoying
the fruit
of salvation
because
your faith
has let
you see
who I
really am
your faith
has saved
you
and now
true faith
leads to
true
transformation
notice
immediately
verse 43
he recovers
his sight
and follows
him
that's
important
he follows
him
you remember
in our
journey
through the
gospel of
Luke
that following
Jesus
is really
the emblematic
of those
who are
with him
and true
disciples
of Christ
and that's
what this
man does
he's found
the answer
to his
deepest
issues
Jesus
has saved
him
faith has led
to transformation
not only in
following
after him
but also in
glorifying God
and as a result
of him
glorifying God
it's interesting
it says in this
final phrase
in verse 43
when they
saw it
speaking of
the crowd
they gave
praise to
God
now this
word of
seeing
and blindness
is now
essentially
kind of placed
on the crowd
too
there needs
to be some
sight
which they
have to
experience
as well
at least
at this
point
their sight
is temporary
their sight
is superficial
now we
move
to the
example
that we
see in
Zacchaeus
in verses
1-10
of chapter
19
we see
in this
next passage
the example
of repentance
in Zacchaeus'
life
look with me
it says
he entered
Jericho
and was
passing through
and behold
there was a
man named
Zacchaeus
he was a
chief tax
collector
and was rich
and he was
seeking
to see
who Jesus
was
he was
small in
stature
so
he ran
on ahead
and climbed
up into
a sycamore
tree
to see
him
for he
was about
to pass
that way
and when
Jesus came
to that
place
he looked
up and
said to
him
Zacchaeus
hurry
and come
down
for I
must stay
at your
house
today
so he
hurried
and came
down
and received
him joyfully
and when he
saw it
they all
grumbled
he has
gone
in to be
a guest
of a man
who is a
sinner
and Zacchaeus
stood and
said to
the Lord
behold
Lord
the half
of my
goods
I give
to the
poor
and if
I have
defrauded
anyone
of anything
I restore
it
fourfold
and Jesus
said to
him
today
salvation
has come
to this
house
since he
also is
a son
of Abraham
for the
son of
man
came
to seek
and to
save
the lost
Zacchaeus
his example
of repentance
begins
with his
seeking
heart
Zacchaeus
is seeking
after Jesus
we see
that there
in verse
two
he was
seeking
to see
Jesus
the crowd
wasn't going
to get in
his way
Zacchaeus
the name
ironically
means
righteous
it means
clean
it means
innocent
or pure
which
as far
as the
crowd
was concerned
Zacchaeus
was the
furthest
away
from being
righteous
he was
the furthest
away
from actually
embodying
that name
in their
minds
tax collectors
as you know
we've worked
our way
through the
gospel of
Luke
tax collectors
are almost
always attached
to sinners
those tax
collectors
and sinners
lumped
all together
and because
of
his
occupation
and essentially
turning his
back on
the nation
of Israel
and turning
his back
on the
blessing
of Abraham
and essentially
being in
league
with the
Gentile
oppressor
he
Zacchaeus
in the
minds
of the
people
of the
first century
he had
abandoned
or rejected
all the
things
that should
be true
about those
who were
of Israel
he had
given it up
he had
sold himself
out
as it
were
for
wealth
and he
had
enjoyed
wealth
to the
max
we find
that he
was
wealthy
he was
rich
but here
he is
the seeking
little man
and so
you can
imagine
what he
might be
doing
he's on
his tiptoes
perhaps
trying to
look over
the crowd
but because
of his
short stature
he couldn't
catch a
glimpse
of him
and maybe
you can
maybe even
kind of
see him
kind of
hopping up
and down
see if he
can catch
any glimpse
of the
savior
but he
gets this
master plan
that this
master plan
he sees
this tree
ahead on
the path
he's going
to climb
that tree
and he's
going to
catch his
glimpse
of the
savior
he's
desperate
to see
he's
not
going to
allow
the crowd
to get
in his
way
much
like
the
blind
man
will
not
allow
the
crowd
to get
in his
way
of
catching
a glimpse
of
Jesus
so
Zacchaeus
does
the
unthinkable
of the
day
he runs
ahead
that's
an
undignified
way
for a
man
of his
stature
to
respond
and then
he adds
more to
that by
actually
climbing
a tree
and perhaps
even
his legs
are dangling
over the
path
as Jesus
and the
rest
of the
crowd
is
passing
through
he's
going to
do
whatever
it
takes
so he
can
catch
a
glimpse
of
Jesus
however
temporary
however
short
lived
it
doesn't
matter
he
wants
to
see
Jesus
is
the
center
of
his
affection
in
the
sense
that
he
he's
got
to
lay
his
eyes
on
Jesus
and
then
Jesus
does
with
Zacchaeus
what
he
does
with
the
blind
man
he
stops
he
takes
notice
he
looks
up
he
calls
him
by
name
Zacchaeus
come
down
hurry
for I
must
stay
at your
house
today
a glance
has now
become
a guest
now
this
extended
stay
now
would have
been
temporary
becomes
a personal
visit
becomes
a close
encounter
it
becomes
a face
to face
interaction
a one
on one
kind
of
interaction
that he's
having
now
with the
savior
no longer
an outsider
no longer
on the
fringe
so what
does he
do
he
he receives
this word
it says
he hurries
down
he comes
down
he receives
him
joyfully
he explodes
with joy
because
things are
better than
he ever
dreamed
but notice
the reaction
now of the
crowd
who was
a seeing
crowd
for the
blind man
and now
a seeing
crowd
again
but now
their
glorifying
turns
into
grumbling
they don't
like what
Jesus is
doing
they're not
interested
in that
kind
of
interaction
they don't
think that
Zacchaeus
is fit
for this
kind
of help
and what
we find
in the
remaining
parts
of this
passage
this
morning
is that
while
it seemed
like
Zacchaeus
was seeking
for Jesus
now
the
script
flips
and we
find
that it's
actually
Jesus
who's
seeking
for Zacchaeus
Jesus
is the
seeker
not
Zacchaeus
notice
Zacchaeus
stood
and said
to the
Lord
behold
Lord
the
half
of
my
goods
I
give
to
the
poor
I
have
defrauded
anyone
of
anything
I
restore
it
fourfold
and
Jesus
said
to him
today
salvation
has
come
to this
house
since
he also
is a
son
of
Abraham
for
the
son
of
man
came
to
seek
and
to
save
the
lost
something
radical
happens
in
Zacchaeus
heart
this
shift
has
taken
place
true
faith
has
produced
true
change
again
Zacchaeus
moves
from being
a taker
to a
giver
from being
a hoarder
to a
sharer
from being
a thief
to one
who
distributes
but most
importantly
one who
moves
from
serving
self
to
serving
God
and
Jesus
knowing
his
heart
identifies
what's
really
going
on
today
salvation
has
come
to
this
house
true
repentance
has
happened
there's
been
a
shift
of
heart
that's
happened
because
of a
new
perspective
of
faith
and
that's
what
must
happen
for
every
believer
who
truly
places
their
faith
in
Jesus
there
must
be
a
shift
of
heart
in
action
and
life
Zacchaeus'
response
demonstrates
outwardly
this
inward
change
that's
taken
place
Zacchaeus
again
which means
righteous
forms a
contrast
to the
earlier
story
about
the rich
young
ruler
who
celebrated
his own
righteousness
remember
and Jesus
said
hey
you want
to be
a follower
of me
sell
your
stuff
and
follow
me
and he
went
away
sorrowful
well
guess
what
Zacchaeus
being a
rich
man
demonstrates
where
true
righteousness
comes
from
he
saw
in
himself
a
need
he
saw
in
himself
the
wickedness
and
ungodliness
of his
heart
he
recognized
that he
wasn't
those
things
and he
pursued
relationship
wanted
to see
Jesus
comes
to his
house
and he
celebrates
with joy
and
because
of
these
example
we
see
that
Jesus
has
come
to seek
and
save
the
lost
that's
our
second
purpose
Jesus
has
come
to
save
sinners
and so
this
morning
as we
come
to our
elements
we
come
to
understand
that
what
we
are
celebrating
this
morning
here
at the
beginning
of a
new
year
is
an
expression
of
interest
and focus
for us
this
do
in
remembrance
of me
this
is
how
it
all
begins
for us
it
doesn't
just
begin
here
it
continues
as
God
wants
to
continue
to
cultivate
a
relationship
with us
that's
not
meant
to be
static
but
dynamic
always
moving
always
growing
always
increasing
and deepening
with God
let me
just in a
couple of
moments
I wanted
to share
a few
points
of
application
what do
we do
with
this
message
first
we need
to
overcome
the
crowd
if
you're
going
to
see
Jesus
and
you're
going
to
enjoy
what
he
has
to
give
you
have
to
overcome
the
crowd
now
what
is
the
crowd
for
us
well
it's
the
noise
that
bombards
us
every
day
we've
got
to
silence
the
noise
we've
got
to
silence
the
crowd
as it
were
like
the
blind
man
we
have
to run
ahead
of
the
crowd
like
Zacchaeus
we've
got
to
find
a
way
to
get
around
the
crowd
and
to
focus
our
energies
and
to
listen
to
God
quiet
our
hearts
to
quiet
the
crowd
to
remove
the
distractions
and
to
seek
him
what
are
those
voices
that
interfere
with
us
listening
to
Jesus
well
I
wonder
if
you
can
fill
in
the
blank
for
yourself
but
I
wonder
if
entertainment
I
wonder
if
social
media
I
wonder
if
YouTube
and
gaming
and
movies
and
binge
watching
certain
shows
whatever
it might
be
I
wonder
if
that's
the
noise
and
in
pastor
can
or
last
week
I
appreciate
the
noise
of
our
phone
that
is
this
constant
distraction
to
us
second
is
in
our
own
life
are
we
seeking
Jesus
quiet
the
crowds
seek
for
Jesus
are
you
looking
for
his
mercy
are
you
enjoying
his
salvation
are
you
doing
what
it
takes
to
find
him
is
he
the
center
point
of
your
focus
is
he
the
one
thing
for
you
this
morning
as
you
begin
this
new
year
is
Jesus
kind
of
that
central
theme
of
your
life
the
prioritization
the
things
that
everything
else
stops
for
so
that
you
can
have
him
and
finally
are
you
asking
for
the
right
things
sometimes
our
own
blindness
gets
in
the
way
what
we
think
we
need
gets
in
the
way
of
what
we
really
need
I
wonder
if
we
need
to
ask
Jesus
to
kind
of
clear
the
noise
away
from
our
hearts
and
minds
so
we
can
focus
and
center
our
attention
on
the
things
that
we
really
need
the
deep
down
things
Jesus
came to
seek
and to
save
the
lost
so
whether
things are
good or
bad
whether
it's
joy
or
sorrow
celebration
or
pain
are we
attached
to
things
that are
superficial
or
are we
attached
to
things
that
are
eternal
is
Jesus
the
center
of
affection
I
like
what
the
psalmist
says
one
thing
I've
asked
of
the
Lord
and
that
will
I
seek
after
that
I
may
dwell
in
the
house
of
the
Lord
all
the
days
of
my
life
to
behold
the
beauty
of
the
Lord
and
to
inquire
in
his
temple
I
wonder
if
for
the
month
of
January
!
focus
our
attention
on
the
one
thing
and
I
wonder
if
we
can
ask
Christ
to
help
us
to
devote
our
attention
to
pursuing
him
I
want
to
pray
I'm
going
to
ask
the
men
to
come
forward
and
we'll
observe
communion
together
Father
thank you
for
this
passage
today
for
the
reminder
especially
at the
beginning
of this
year
of
what
you
came
to
do
you
came
to
seek
and
to
save
the
lost
you
came
to
fellowship
with
your
people
that
only
happens
through
faith
and
forgiveness
that
come
through
Christ
Father
I pray
that you
would
center
our
attention
on
you
today
and
God
that
this
new
year
we
would
be
the
kinds
of
people
who
exalt
the
one
thing
that
you
came
the
one
purpose
that
you
came
to
resolve
in
our
lives
Lord we
praise you
for your
patience
with us
thank you
that if we
confess our
sin that you
are faithful
and just
to forgive
our sin
and to
cleanse us
from all
unrighteousness
thank you
that you
came to
overcome
the crowds
as it
were
and to
help to
resolve
our
blindness
Lord I
pray that you
would help
to open
our eyes
and draw
our attention
to you
in Jesus
name
amen