Dear Christian friends:

I'm sure that many of you have seen specialized automobile license plates that carry a short message or name. The September issue of our Synod's "Evangel Gram" tells about specialized license plates which Pastor Moll of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Barrington, Illinois has on his auto. The plates have these letters on them: BLV IN XP. Pastor Moll says that his special plates open up many opportunities for him to witness of Jesus Christ. He explains that most people are able to figure out what BLV and IN stand for, but are stumped by the letters XP. He says this permits him to explain to them that XP are Greek letters that stand for Jesus Christ. So Pastor Moll's specialized plates carry this message: "Believe in Jesus Christ." What a creative and effective way to witness of our Savior!

We need news items such as this to remind us and encourage us also to be creative and winsome witnesses of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our text also has special encouragement for us today. It tells about a surprising opportunity which Jesus had to win a man for His kingdom. So, on the basis of our text, let us consider the topic:


Our text tells us that Jesus found and won a man who was sitting in a tree. Isn't that a surprising and strange place to find someone and then win that person for God's kingdom.

I doubt if you will ever find someone sitting in a tree to be a likely prospect for your witness, but you perhaps will meet some prospect in another surprising place where you never expected: perhaps in a bar, or in prison, or even at the country club. . You probably won't find them in church. If you did find them in church, you would not be surprised.

Like Adam and Eve, who hid from God in the bushes after they had sinned, they, too, are often hiding out from God and His witnesses. Our text states that Zaachaeus climbed the tree that day "because he was little of stature." (verse 3) Another reason may have been that he felt guilty and really wasn't sure if he wanted Jesus to find him. But it seems that he must have been wondering if Jesus was the Christ.

The city of Jericho was also a surprising place to win someone for God's kingdom. At the time of Jesus it was a city primarily for wealthy, retired Jewish people. We know that the rich usually are not interested in God's kingdom. They are too much interested in their own kingdom, power and glory.

A short time before Jesus had told His disciples that it was difficult for a rich man to enter into God's kingdom. (Luke 18: 18-27) Also the experts in witnessing and evangelism tell us that the retired and the elderly are often persuaded to change from unbelief or misbelief to real belief. They are well set in their beliefs and philosophies of life. So Jericho was not a place you would expect to find someone and win that person for God's kingdom. But surprisingly, Jesus won the rich man Zaachaeus there.

For the same reasons as Jericho, the core area of Sun City and other new adult communities near by are not places where you would expect to find and win people for Jesus. However, our congregation has been growing quite rapidly. True, many new members are transfers of people who already were Christians, even fellow Lutherans, but some of the new members are recent converts to the faith. God does bless our witness also in such places as Sun City. Jesus finding and winning of Zaachaeus should encourage us.

Jesus also won Zaachaeus at a surprising time. He was traveling on His way to Jerusalem to go up there to Suffer and die on the cross for the world's sin. Yet He takes time out, perhaps one or two hours to visit at Zaachaeus' house. We are amazed at Jesus' love and concern for just one lost sheep! Remember also, one week later, when He was actually dying on the cross, Jesus took the trouble and time to speak the Gospel to the repentant thief who was crucified with him on His right hand. Jesus was ready at surprising times and places to witness to just one lost sinner.

Jesus' example should help us to see how important it is to take the time to visit with the neighbors, and not be so intent about our own plans or agenda.

When Jesus ministered to Zaachaeus in this surprising place and at this surprising time he got a surprising response. Zaachaeus seemed to be ready and waiting for Jesus to talk to him. When Jesus noticed him in the tree and told him to come down as He wanted to visit with him this day at his house, we read that "Zaachaeus made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully." (verses 5-6)

When the respectable people saw this, they condemned Jesus for going to be a quest with a man, that is a sinner. (verse 7) However, for Zaachaeus it was the final proof that Jesus was indeed the Christ as many in Israel were saying, and he believed. Upon this, Zaachaeus' Spirit wrought faith led him to make generous amends for his past sins. He promises to give one-half of all his goods to the poor and to restore fourfold any money that he had received by crooked dealings.

He says to Zaachaeus and all who will hear, "This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (verses 9-10) When Jesus refers to Zaachaeus as a "son of Abraham" He does not mean that he is of Jewish blood although he was that, but Jesus means that he is a believer in God's grace and God's Christ, just as Abraham was. St. Paul in Romans 4 and in Galatians 3 clearly teaches that all people, whether they are Jews or Gentiles, are children of Abraham if they confess their sins and accept Jesus for their Savior.

We, too, will have surprising responses if we we witness of Jesus Christ. There are some here in Sun City who are ready and waiting for our witness.

While we are surprised by these opportunities to win people for Jesus, Jesus is not surprised. He knows it before it happens. He plans it and makes it happen.

Jesus_was not surprised by Zaachaeus' response. He knew all about Zaachaeus before He met him at the tree. Jesus even knew his name. Jesus had been letting various things happen to Zaachaeus to prepare him for this meeting at the tree and for the visit in his house. That's why Zaachaeus was ready and waiting, and when converted gave one-half of his money to the poor.

As Jesus prepared Zaachaeus, so He has prepared some here in Sun City for our Gospel witness. They may not be aware of it now, but they will be aware when we seek them out and tell them the Good News. Let us not fail them! Let us not fail Jesus!

What a joy! What an honor to bring salvation to someone's house! God help us to catch the vision!

PS, This next week we will be asked to make our commitments to the general fund for 1990 and to the building fund for 1990 through 1992. As we do let us remember Zaachaeus' surprising response to God's grace in Jesus Christ.

The ten percent giving of Abrahan, Issac and Jacob and all the Old Testament believers, the fifty percent giving of Zaachaeus and the one hundred percent giving of the poor widow in the temple is recorded in the holy Scriptures for our learning, guidance and inspiration. In the case of the widow's mite it states that Jesus watched over the temple treasury to see how the people gave. I believe that Jesus, sitting at the right hand of the Father, also watches over our giving today. Not to frighten us or to shame us or to brow-beat us into giving, but to see our Spirit wrought, joyful fruits of faith, and He rejoices in seeing our fruits.

Next Tuesday is Reformation Day when we remember our mentor Dr. Martin Luther and his bold witness in defense of the pure Gospel. Luther gave a lot more than money. He risked his life and honor for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.

May all these things be in our hearts and minds as we this week and in the next make our commitments to Jesus and His work, to Jesus who above all gave His life-blood for our salvation.

Amen.