THE GLORY ROAD: LESSON 3 – March 18th, 2018

Luke 19:1-10 “Contagious Christianity”

“For the Son of Man can to seek and to save the lost.”  Luke 19:10

OPENING: Who are the religious-social outcasts of today?  Do they find Christianity contagious?

TEXT: Read Luke 19:1-10 slowly and prayerfully using different readers and/or translations.

1. How would you summarize this passage in one word?  Underline your key word(s) and circle your key verse.  Jesus and Zacchaeus were both on a quest. How would you describe their quest?  What specifically were each of them seeking? How would you describe your quest?  What specifically are you seeking today? What made Jesus so contagious? Why do you think that Zacchaeus was so desperate to see Jesus?

1. Luke 19:1-3 sets the stage for the faith encounter with Zacchaeus.  Is the town of Jericho significant to the story? How would you describe Zacchaeus and why does Luke want us to know that he was a religious-social outcast?  Luke set the stage for this encounter with Jesus in Luke 18:9-14 and 18:18-30. How do these two passages influence our understanding of why Zacchaeus was an outsider and why he was seeking out Jesus?  Some commentators believe that Luke emphasized his size, not to highlight his stature but rather to highlight his age (a young adult, maybe even just a teenager). How might that potential detail change your perspective of this story and your perspective regarding how Jesus views the next generation of leaders (see Luke 18:15-17)?

1. Luke 19:10 is potentially the most important verse in Luke.  How would you describe the mission of Jesus, both then and now?  Jesus was a seeker! Jesus saw things we tend to ignore. What do you think that Jesus saw in Zacchaeus in Luke 19:5?  What did the insiders see in Zacchaeus (19:7)? How do we, who are on the inside, tend to see outsiders? Contagious Christianity begins with sight (Matthew 9:36)!  What steps do we need to take to see lost people with more compassion and mercy? Who in your life appears to be hurting and feeling hopeless? Compare this week’s encounter with the mission of last week (Luke 10:1-12).

1. DIG DEEPER: What does it mean to be a Son of Abraham (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6-14) and why do you think Jesus used that term here?  How and when do you think Zacchaeus was saved in this encounter? Do you think that Zacchaeus was stating what he planned to do with his money (17:8) or how he had lived before meeting Jesus (notice “I now give”)?  Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus joyfully! Is that true of you? What did Luke want us to know about Zacchaeus and his faith in Jesus (see John 1:12-13)?

1. CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIANITY: Jesus was contagious because he lived his life on purpose and he saw people with deep compassion!  What are the hurdles in life that are keeping you from being a contagious Christian? How would our lives be different if we were more contagious for Christ?  What are our next steps as a church to be more contagious?

NEXT STEP: Memorize Luke 19:10.  Pray for a faith encounter with an outsider this week.