Hundreds of years before Jesus called Zacchaeus down from the sycamore tree, the prophet Ezekiel brought God’s Word to the Israelites. They were living in exile in Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar’s armies had destroyed their homes, city and even Solomon’s magnificent temple. Families were torn apart by violence, starvation and death, and most of the survivors had been forced from their homes and into captivity in Babylon. During these desperate times, God encouraged His people with these words in Ezekiel 34:16, I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak. God’s people wouldn’t stay lost forever; a Good Shepherd was coming.
This week’s family conversation focuses on the familiar story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector Jesus called down from the tree. Take time with your kids this week to look at Zacchaeus through the eyes of the Good Shepherd Jesus. Just like you and me, Zacchaeus was a sinner whom Jesus loved and came to seek out and save.
Our sin can have a crushing effect on ourselves and those around us. But God sent us a Good Shepherd who doesn’t run away from our sinfulness. When we stray into sin and others turn away, Jesus seeks us out, brings us back and bandages our wounds. This Easter season, we celebrate Jesus, our Good Shepherd, who came to seek and save the lost.
