Salvation Has Come
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; (Luke 19:9, NKJV)
In Luke 19 we read a story of a lost sheep being found by the Shepherd. The sheep’s name was Zacchaeus. This lost sheep was cut off from the church, from his countrymen, and from his own identity. In his lost state, he was considered unrighteous, a traitor and a crook.
Jesus saw this lost man in the tree and said, “Today I’m going to spend time with you, Zacchaeus.” And something profound happened that day during their meal together. Something inside of the man was touched. Something was changed. Something was healed. At the end of the visit we see a remarkable declaration from Jesus. He announced that salvation had come to this house. Zacchaeus had been made whole.
Many of us know that the greek word for “salvation” is “soteira” meaning to make wholeor to heal. Jesus rejoiced that day that a man was made whole. Salvation had come.
I believe this wholeness is what it is all about. It’s not just about avoiding a flaming punishment. It’s not even about making bad people into good people. It’s about bringing lost people home. It’s about healing the broken hearts who are lost in believing that they are unlovable, uncared for, isolated, and on their own, without a Father to love or nurture them.
My own personal salvation has been a healing of my heart. It has been a revelation of truth that I belong with God, that He has always loved me, and that I’ll never be alone or without hope.
Anyone who interacts with the real Jesus will find a love that heals and makes us whole. We’ll know that we are loved even in our sins and weaknesses. We are convinced of His amazing Grace. We become comfortable in our own skin because we are secure in our union with God. This salvation gives us freedom from shame, freedom from fear, and allows us to live in a larger way because we are the very children of God and we are extraordinarily LOVED.
We notice that our insecurities are fading and we look and act like who we truly are, in the image of God. This is the manifestation of the children of God who reign in life unselfishly with love and grace toward others who the Good Shepherd wants to make whole.
God’s grace restores what once was lost, lets us know that we are safe at home with God, and patiently speaks healing to the world. Salvation is a beautiful thing to behold.