ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
September 8, 2021
Scripture: Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.
Thought for the Day: This verse comes at the end of the Zacchaeus story in which Jesus invited himself to the home of Zacchaeus for a meal that would forever change Zacchaeus’ life. We’re not too sure if Jesus said the above words or whether it was the narrator, but nonetheless, these words speak to the saving of the lost. The word lost in the original Greek is: apolōlos. It can be translated as destroyed or ruined, but one translation caught my attention: Has been made useless. How many people, for whatever reason, have been made to feel useless? Just typing those words is painful. We’ve all, at one time or another, had a situation in which we felt useless. I remember working on a Habitat for Humanity project, and it was plumbing day. They were trying to be kind, but I was not very helpful. But in this scripture, the implication is that someone feels utterly useless. There is both pain and hopelessness without purpose, yet what we hear is that the Son of Man (the Ideal Human) came to seek out those folks and to “save” them. The word save in Greek is: sōsai, which can be translated as saved, healed or made whole. I prefer translating it using all three. Zacchaeus was making lots of money, but doing so in an unethical way. There was not a holy purpose to his life until Jesus stepped in, challenged Zacchaeus, and in his act of repentance, he began to find himself and experience the saving and healing work of Jesus. A lot of folks feel as if they are going through the motions of life, but lack purpose and conviction. Eventually, there is an overwhelming feeling of uselessness. It is painful and debilitating, but the Jesus story shows again and again how people find their usefulness. It may not look like anything they would have imagined, yet it points to the power of the divine to guide us beyond our painful feelings of uselessness. May it be so in all of our lives!
Prayer: O Spirit who transformed the heart of Zacchaeus and provided him healing and purpose, we come once again seeking this transformative power in our own lives. Wherever there be those who have lost heart, felt deep despair or been made to feel useless, we believe there is hope found in your unconditional love. Amen.
