Today’s Verse—Luke 19:10
The Son of Man came to look
for the lost and save them.
Zach, the shortest kid in eighth grade, sat alone up in the bleachers. No one really liked him, or even noticed him. And the kids at school especially didn’t notice him today—not when the school had just won the basketball championship. Zach watched the cheering crowd pour onto the court below. Everyone swarmed around Jesse, who’d scored almost all the points in the game. But then, as Zach watched, it looked as if Jesse was waving at him. What? That didn’t make sense. They’d never met. Jesse was popular. Zach was anything but. Suddenly Jesse bounded up the bleacher steps toward the smaller boy. “Hey, Zach! Wanna go to lunch?”
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Let’s revisit the two-thousand-year-old version of Zacchaeus’s story, which is recorded in Luke 19. It took place during a time when Jesus was pretty popular. You’d think that being so well liked, Jesus would have hung out with people who were really important. But instead, over and over He chose to spend His time with the outcasts of the day— people with diseases, the weak, the unpopular. Even people like Zacchaeus, who sat alone on a tree limb.
Other people weren’t happy when Jesus chose to have lunch with Zacchaeus over them. But Jesus told the complainers in Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them.” Jesus didn’t come to earth to be popular. He came to love people, especially those no one else did.
Wandering with Wooton
This may surprise you, but I’ve always been a little strange. I was the only kid at school who packed peanut-butter-and-sardine sandwiches for lunch and had a pet duck named Lois. A lot of kids didn’t like me because they thought I was weird. But I always had my friend, Bradford. He reminded me that I was loved and important, even when no one else thought I was. And best of all, Bradford introduced me to Jesus, who changed my life.
Daily Challenge
Think of some people at school or church who don’t have a lot of friends. Maybe they’re really shy or new or awkward. This week, be friendly with them. Invite one or two to sit with you or share your lunch. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Instead, remember how happy it makes God.
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Learning About Jesus Theme Memory Verse—John 8:12
[Jesus] said, “I am the light of the world. Those who follow me will never walk in darkness. They will have the light that leads to life.”