Jesus Loves You

Luke 19:1-10 gives an account of Jesus passing through Jericho. Jesus went to Jericho for one lost soul. That was the soul of Zaccheus, the chief publican or as we know it today, the chief tax collector. These men were typically men of wealth, hated by the people. They were looked upon with much animosity. Nobody would have been looked upon with more distain that would a tax collector.

Jericho was a fine city with alot of activity. It was an elite town where the prestigious and rich lived. It was the type of place that people liked to frequent for holidays. I don’t find it the least bit surprising that we find Zaccheus the tax collector there.

Nevertheless, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Though Zaccheus was a renegade in the eyes of the Jews, he was a precious lost sinner in the eyes of Jesus. Jesus didn’t go to Jericho just to enjoy those things that you enjoy in a rich and prestigious city. He didn’t go to Jericho to join in the festivities of the city. He came to Jericho because he was on a mission. He came to see Zaccheus, a low-down tax collector. Out of all of the “more respectable” people in Jericho, Jesus chose the chief tax collector.

Jesus went to Jericho for Zaccheus. Jesus loves you, He went all the way to Calvary, and when He was on the cross, you were on His mind. He doesn’t love you just because you attend church. He loves you because He loves you! God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinner, Christ died for you and me (Romans 5:8).

With Jesus, it doesn’t matter what you have done, but it matters what you will do. With Jesus, it doesn’t matter what you have been, but what you will become.

If we will just make an effort to come back to Jesus, He will be there for us. Just as in the parable of the prodigal son. When the father saw his son coming down the road in the distance, the Bible says he ran to him and kissed him. The father could have made his rebellious son “serve his time”, but we read that the son experienced unconditional love. When you come back to the father’s house, you’ll experience unconditional acceptance and unconditional love.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been or what skeletons you have in your closet, Jesus loves you and He waits to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18). JESUS LOVES YOU!