JESUS CAME FOR THE SINNERS

Our Heavenly Father's love is the reason our Lord Jesus came into this world to save us from our sins through His sacrifice. Interestingly, Jesus did not come for those who are godly and have their lives in order, but He came for the sinners who lost their way in sin. Jesus said, "For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10). Jesus said these words when He ate at Zacchaeus' house. Zacchaeus was considered by the religious leaders as the chief of sinners because he was a tax collector, working for the Romans, who cheated people for their annual taxes. He charged people more than what they owed in taxes, and then he pocketed the money. As a result, he became very wealthy. The Jewish people knew what Zacchaeus was doing, but they could not do anything about it because the Romans were protecting him. Zacchaeus' God is not the God of Israel, but money, power, and prestige. Zacchaeus was a fraud who stole money from people. His life changed when He met Jesus. Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus' house to eat, which brought criticism from the people, including the religious leaders. It was during this time that Jesus told the people that He came for the sinners, such as Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus repented and believed in Jesus for His forgiveness of sins that day.

It is easy for us to forget that Jesus came for the sinners, especially when we fall into sin because of our mistakes or willful sin. We tend to think that God is for the righteous people only, and that He condemns sinners. As a result, we strive to be good and perfect so that God will accept us. We rely on our good works and perfect plan to be accepted by God, instead of His love, grace, and mercy. But when we fail and sin, we feel condemned and feel that we are not worthy to receive His forgiveness. We are having a difficult time forgiving ourselves because of our failures. As we can see in the life of Zacchaeus, Jesus went to him. Zacchaeus' story shows us that our Lord Jesus does not wait for us to find Him when we sin or fail, but He actively looks for us so that we can repent and be forgiven. When we are burdened by our sins and feel like we don't deserve God's love and forgiveness, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus came for the sinners, like us. The only way out of our sin is to repent and accept His forgiveness. Our Lord Jesus already paid the penalty for our sins by sacrificing Himself on the cross and being resurrected on the third day. 

There is no sin that we can commit that our God cannot forgive, except when rejecting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Let us turn to God when we fall into sin. He is looking for us and wants us to receive His forgiveness so that He can restore us. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What should I do when I fall into sin? Do I believe that God can forgive whatever sin I have committed? Why did Jesus come to this world? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for pursuing me and forgiving me of my sins. I was lost in my sin, but you came to rescue me. I do not deserve your love and forgiveness because of the sins that I have done, but you have forgiven me and washed away all my sins. Please help me to fully accept your forgiveness and live in your forgiveness. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.