The Bible tells us of two comings of Jesus. It’s what we call the first coming and the second coming. One has already been fulfilled; one is yet to come. They both stand in complete contrast. The first coming, Jesus came to deliver. The second coming, Jesus will come to conquer. The first coming, Jesus came as a servant. The second coming, Jesus will come as a KING. The first coming, Jesus came to gather His church. The second coming, the church will come with Him.
It's interesting that Jesus’ birth was announced to the lowly shepherds in the fields not to kings in palaces. Our verse today speaks of His purpose… He came to the lost sheep of Israel. And it was the lost, the sinners, the diseased, the sick, and the poor that followed Him. We might ask why did they follow Him? Why did they leave their homes and often go without food and sleep to follow Him? Here’s why… they saw their need for Him. He offered them what no one else could. They felt different when they were in His midst. His presence penetrated to the depths of their souls. They hung onto every word. They were in awe at His miracles. Yes, some followed to see the miracles, but others followed because they knew they needed what He had to give them.
The context of our verse tells a story of a man…. a chief tax collector by the name of Zaccheus. In that day, Jews did not like or trust tax collectors because they worked for the Roman government. We learn that Zaccheus was rich. His wealth most likely came from the people he stole from. He was hated. He was an outcast. He didn’t have many friends. His family probably turned their backs on him. Yet, on this day, He knew that He needed something. And somehow, he knew that the One passing by could give it to him. You know the rest of the story… Jesus called him out of the tree and he went to his home for dinner, to the displeasure of the religious leaders.
You and I knew that we needed Him when we put our faith in Him. But do we live every day in that state of dependency? Do we know that we are useless, helpless, and lost without Jesus? Do we ask Him to go before us and help us at every turn? The more we live our lives in dependency upon Jesus, the closer we will walk with Him. We won’t be content at the back of the crowd, but we will be at the front enjoying sweet conversation with Him. Here’s the thing… we NEED Him. We need His help, His guidance, His counsel, His wisdom. His love has already been poured out into us, but these other things come when we depend on Him every day. Hope this encourages you today and Merry Christmas.