At a dinner party hosted by a grateful little revenue agent, Jesus turned to Zacchaeus and voiced one of the reasons he chose to live among us. 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.

Jesus gave more than one purpose statement. Consider this one: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.(John 10:10). Here’s another: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Jesus arrived with clarity, knowing he would give his life to liberate the lost. And we’re all lost, in need of a ransom from the consequences of sin and death. But beyond just saved from the fire, Jesus promised life to the full—a life of abundance.

Rescue, call back, pour out abundance. That’s a life on mission. One we embrace when we follow the teacher.

Luke 19 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by David Iskander