Vison Comes When We Love …
As Jesus Loves the Lost
Text: Mark 10:17-22; Luke 19:1-10
Proposition: Jesus loves the lost by coming to where they are, speaking truth to their hearts, calling them to choose and being willing to suffer loss.
Introduction: Let me share with you the story of two men, two people who on the outside looked very similar, two people who though truly wealthy were truly lost. The peculiar thing about being lost is that at first you don’t even know you are. The term lost can mean several things, it can mean that you don’t know where you are nor how to get where you want to be; it can mean something is missing and nobody knows where to find it; it can even mean a loss of confidence in what to do in a particular situation. This morning let’s look at the lives of two people, similar and yet both very lost and then I want you watch Jesus as He loves the lost.. Let’s look at the first young man in Mark 10:17-22.
I. Jesus Loves the Lost Even When They Walk Away.
The thing about being lost is that when you suddenly realize you are it demands some sort of immediate response. When you’re lost and don’t know it there is nothing that has to change, there’s no sense of urgency. But when you suddenly realize you not only don’t know where you are but that you don’t know how to get to where you want to be, there is an urgent search for answers. Have a look at the urgency in this young man. He comes running up to Jesus, he kneels down before Him. The idea of fitting in has been abandoned, there is a deep sense that something is wrong, something is missing. When that realization hits, you no longer care about appearances, about others opinions. It’s like despite all the things of wealth there is this deep emptiness inside that nothing can fill. So he asks Jesus, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” What does he earnestly want so much that here he is kneeling in the dirt in front of Jesus and all these people… it’s to inherit eternal life. To inherit something is to receive it as a gift, yet his question is, ‘what must I do to earn the inheritance’. I suppose that when you’re lost the most important thing is to ask the right question, it’s not how fast should I run but rather in what direction. That’s why Jesus asks him a peculiar question, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” In other words, do you know Who it is you are asking this? If you are going to ask God for directions, recognize that God is not made in our image. He is good, perfect, even when what He commands or allows seems far from perfect. You know how this plays out. Jesus tells him to obey what God has written in Scripture and the young man’s response is startling. He says that he’s kept these commandments since being a child, meaning he’s obeyed them. No lust, no coveting, no jealousy, no sneaking, no disrespect of his parents…ever. The young man’s claim was there was no sin, nothing that God could be displeased with in his life… basically I’m really a very, very good person. The problem is that this seems to be the exact opposite of how Jesus just defined ‘good’, there is none ‘good’ but God. Then comes verse 21, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” In the parallel account of this story in Matt.19:21 Jesus is recorded as saying, “If you want to be perfect”… one thing you lack. What would poverty, taking up and carrying a cross and following Jesus do that would make him ‘perfect’? I’d submit to you that what it would do is reveal the vast presence of sin in our hearts. It would reveal the only One who can give life to us. To follow Jesus would mean agreeing with Him, about everything. We are lost and He is the He is the Way past this. This young man was lost and we know that he walked away believing that utter dependence on God and on Jesus was not as good as dependence upon his own wealth and ability. But don’t miss how verse 21 starts, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him…”. Jesus loves the lost even when they walk away from Him.
II Jesus Loves the Lost When No One Else Will.
The second story is about another man, also very wealthy, also a Hebrew and also just discovering how lost he really was. It happens right after the rich young ruler walks away. Have a look at the account in Luke 19:1-10. This guy was an entrepreneur, he had bid on the contract to collect taxes for the Romans and won it. He got what he wanted…at first. He had made a fortune on taking his percentage of the tax but there was a toll on his own soul. He had become lost without ever realizing it until suddenly there he was, empty and alone. The amazing thing in both these men’s lives is that when they were lost and suddenly realized it, Jesus comes near to where they are. It’s His presence that prompts their rushed and desperate responses to occur. Zacchaeus has likely heard about other tax collectors turning to Jesus, being baptized (Lk 3:12) ; eating with and following Jesus (Mk2:15), and don’t forget Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector, their boss so to speak. But the moment that he heard that Jesus had come to his town, that Jesus was in Jericho, the walls around Zacchaeus’ heart fell down. He goes to where the crowd is and seeing the direction they’re headed in he runs ahead. He finds a sycamore tree and it just clicks, he climbs it and gets ready for Jesus to arrive. Do you see how desperate the lost are, they do things they would never have done before because they aren’t where they want to be and they don’t know how to get there. You know what happens next, Jesus walks right under the tree, He looks up at Zacchaeus and then despite the scorn and the mocking laughter of the crowd as they too see Zacchaeus, Jesus invites Himself to the tax collectors house for lunch. The popular rabbi Jesus says He must stay at the tax collectors house and receive the hospitality of the greatest sinner in Jericho. We don’t know much of what was said there during the lunch but at the end of the meal Zacchaeus stands up and says, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” In other words, he was as amazed at what he was doing as all the others would be. He cuts loose the very thing that had ensnared him, he gives half of what he had to the poor. Then he makes this incredible statement about giving back four times as much to those he took from with false accusation. It was a statement of acknowledging his sin, an act that could only have one driving source, a need for forgiveness, a longing to trust God, a hunger to be accepted and even loved. It was what turning away from sin looked like, a turning from being lost. Did you hear what Jesus response was to all this? “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham”. Jesus restores him, Jesus includes him, Jesus identifies with him, Jesus declares that salvation has come to Zacchaeus. Then Jesus makes this statement, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” If there is a purpose statement for Christ this is it. If there is a statement that describes what Jesus loves, this is it. If there is a call for us to love what Jesus loves, this is it. So how does this translate into a truth that shapes our vision as faith Community Church?
1. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. It means He was often the one to go where they were long before they would ever come to where He was. What will that look like for us, what will it cost us to seek the lost?
2. Jesus loved the lost even when they didn’t respond as they should. Can we love the lost when it appears there is a wrong response, when it seems like they just walk away? Will loving the lost call for persevering love?
3. When Jesus loved the lost He was often mocked or even accused of being like them. Will loving the lost cost us something in terms of reputation or respect?
4. When Jesus loved the lost He spoke the truth about God being good. He spoke about the reality of sin, the need to come to the cross and receive the forgiveness it designs. To love the lost is tell them the truth about Jesus, is that what we desire?