Zacchaeus, Revisited

It's Sunday, another day of church, family lunch at Cracker Barrel, and home for relaxation, naps, and reflecting on the morning's message. Interestingly, Pastor Dan ended his sermon today with a reference to Zaccheaus, whom I mentioned in my previous blog. And even if he hadn't, my mind was making the connection throughout the service (yes, my mind wanders frequently during Sunday sermons). The message today was about Jesus' mission being a rescue mission, because He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). That's exactly what He told Zacchaeus, and exactly what so many of us forget. See, we (universal we) as Christians too often think that Jesus came to seek and spend time with the found, the ones that have it all together. We think that Jesus wouldn't spend time with sinners, so we'd better get all our ducks in a row.

This summer, there was a story that was pretty big in our local papers about a lifeguard named Tomas Lopez. Tomas was patroling his area when someone alerted him to a swimmer in distress about 1500 feet away from his station. Immediately, the young man sprang into action, ran to the place where the swimmer was and put his training into action. He saved the man's life, and for doing so, his boss gave him the boot. Tomas was fired because he rescued a swimmer who got into trouble outside of the lifeguard patrol zone. There was a clearly posted sign that said “swim at your own risk,” and the man chose to swim there. When a problem arose, according to the boss, he should have been left alone to sink or swim on his own. You made the choice to swim there, so you deal with the repercussions seems to be the message the company wanted to portray.  But Tomas did not stop to think about borders.  He saw a man who needed rescuing, he went to where the man was, and he rescued him.

Can I just say that I am so glad that Jesus is more like Tomas Lopez and not like the policy makers and modern day Pharisees in the church. I consider myself a good person most days. I don't commit the “big sins” that the sign wavers seem to think are a one way ticket to hell. But still, every day I swim outside of the perfect-Christian zone. By His perfect and loving grace, Jesus does not stay within those borders and watch me drown. He does not tell me I have to make my way to the right side of the line before He can save me.  In fact, He patrols the very places that the religious bosses would call off limits. Again and again, His word tells us that He loves sinners. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). It's not the healthy man who needs a doctor, but the sick (Mark 2:17). While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). It doesn't matter to Jesus whether the person He rescues is one foot away from the line or a million miles away; there is no place His grace cannot reach. We just have to be willing to admit that we need His help, to call for help, and to submit to His perfect rescue plan.