Luke 19

What did I learn about Jesus?

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (verse 10).
Jesus is a highly sought after man—both positively by those who will hang onto his words and those that seek to have him destroyed (verses 47-48).

What did I learn about disciple-making?

There is an investment we should be making because the kingdom of God is coming, but not immediately—an investment of all that God has given us financially and with our time and talents (verses 11-27).
We can give disciples legitimate responsibilities and tasks, even when they don’t understand the end goal fully (Luke 18:34; 19:30-35).

Extended thoughts and observations from Elder Steve Maxwell:

Here is what I caught my eye in verses 1-10.

We have read of so many instances in the gospels where Jesus is approached by those in need of physical healing. Time and again we see people who knew they were sick and in need of healing seeking out Jesus and calling on him for healing. And time and again Jesus responded to their faith.

But this chapter has a different angle on Jesus’ healing. Zacchaeus was not seeking Jesus per se, although he was curious (verse 3 – “he wanted to see who Jesus was”), and Zacchaeus was not physically sick or in obvious need of healing. However, Jesus saw his spiritual sickness and need for a savior. Differently than many other instances, Jesus initiated this encounter (verse 5). Jesus was aware of those around him and in need. Jesus extended grace to Zacchaeus, and he didn’t judge. This is a great lesson in disciple-making; as it says in verse 10, “The son of man came to seek and save the lost.” That is exactly what Jesus was doing – seeking the lost and providing true healing which transcends physical need.

Like Jesus we need to be seeking the lost. We need to be aware of those around us who are curious about who Jesus is, seeking them out and sharing the good news. This seems to be an important part of disciple-making.