Middle school · Day 3 of 5
Jesus Came for Zacchaeus
Read: Luke 19:1-10 (KJV)
1And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold, there was a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Read the whole chapter ›What it means
Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and people did not like him. He had cheated people and gotten rich doing it. He was also short, so he climbed a tree just to see Jesus. Out of the whole crowd, Jesus stopped, looked up, and called him by name. Jesus chose to go to his house, even though people complained. Meeting Jesus changed Zacchaeus. He gave to the poor and paid back the people he cheated. This shows us that Jesus came "to seek and to save that which was lost." Maybe you feel left out at school, or like you have messed up too much for God to care. Jesus knows your name. He is not looking for perfect people. He is looking for you, and His love can change your heart.
Key verse
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:10 (KJV)
Think about it
- Why do you think the crowd was upset that Jesus went to Zacchaeus's house?
- Have you ever felt like you were too far from God? What does this story say about that?
- Is there someone at school others ignore that you could show kindness to this week?
Pray
Jesus, thank You for seeing me and knowing my name. Thank You that You came looking for me, even when I mess up. Change my heart like You changed Zacchaeus, and help me show Your love to people others leave out. Amen.