Service nearly always follows a very specific sequence, one embodied in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
A prime example of this sequence is in the way Jesus dealt with Zacchaeus, a tax collector in Jericho.
At the time Jesus met Zacchaeus, He was on His way to Jerusalem for the last time. He was probably less than
two weeks away from His death on the cross, which Jesus knew would happen during the upcoming Passover feast. Jericho
is one of the well-known cities that Jesus passed through as He left the Galilee area and made His way south to
Jerusalem.
Luke 19:1–10 gives us the story that is the theme for this lesson:
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax
collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was
of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that
way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come
down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when
they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken
anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the
Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The sequence or pattern of service is fivefold: awareness, availability, acceptance, abiding, and abandonment.
Read through the story about Jesus and Zacchaeus again and circle words and phrases that seem to relate to these
terms.
Step #1: Awareness
Zacchaeus was a lonely, wealthy, hopeful, desperate man. Luke tells us that he was short in stature, which tells
us why he climbed up into a sycamore tree. But Jesus did not single out Zacchaeus because he was short, nor because
he was in a tree. Jesus responded to Zacchaeus because He saw in him a need, a desire, a longing.
Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector in Jericho. In this position, he worked for Rome. Zacchaeus, therefore,
was considered by his fellow Jews to be part of the evil oppression that had been placed upon the Jewish people
by the Roman occupation forces. Tax collectors working for Rome often collected more than the tax due, and they
often became very wealthy in the process of cheating others. Tax collectors were much despised and were considered
to be great sinners.
When the crowds saw Zacchaeus attempting to get close enough to see Jesus, it was no wonder that the crowd “closed
ranks” and did not let him through.
John said about Jesus that He “knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew
what was in man” (John 2:24–25). We find evidence of this a number of times in the Gospels when we read that Jesus
knew the hearts of men or that He knew what people were thinking and attempting to do. Jesus knew Zacchaeus
even though they had never met. He did not see him as a short man, a rich man, or a tax collector. He saw him as
a man desperate for grace and the good news that God might forgive his sins, reconcile him fully to Himself, and
restore him to his people.
• In your experience, have you ever discovered that someone was not on the inside who you thought that person
to be on the basis of what you had observed on the outside?
• Have you ever been misjudged in your life as being something that you aren't on the basis of your appearance
or outward demeanor?
Awareness is the first step toward service. If you don't see people as Jesus sees them, you cannot minister
to them as Jesus did. Before you can reach out to help someone, you must first see that person as having a need.
Many people are so totally turned inward that they don't see others or hear their inner moanings and weepings.
The fact is, every person I know is in need in some area of his or her life. We all have problems, concerns, worries,
struggles, temptations, and sorrows that nobody knows about and that we often try to keep hidden.
One of the greatest stories in the Bible about awareness is found in Luke 8:42–48:
But as He went, the multitudes thronged him. Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent
all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His
garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say,
‘Who touched Me?’ ”
But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that
she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all
the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
• What new insights do you have into this passage from the Bible?
You and I are called to become so sensitive to the needs of others that weknow when someone is in need
of healing and when they are reaching out to Jesus, even though they may not initially confess to their need. We
are to serve those in need with confidence and with confidentiality. Our sensitive service to them can cause them
to touch Jesus with renewed faith and bring them to a place of healing.
• In what ways are you feeling challenged in your spiritual walk?
Step #2: Availability
God is never too busy to hear the prayers of His people. Jesus was never too busy to respond to those who sought
His help.
When Jesus healed the woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, he was on his way to the home of a
synagogue ruler, Jairus. Jairus' little girl had become extremely ill and was thought to be on her deathbed. Even
so, Jesus stopped to complete the healing in someone who had reached out to Him with her faith. He had time
for her.
When Jesus encountered Zacchaeus in Jericho, Jesus was on his way to a final week of ministry in Jerusalem—a
week that would culminate in His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. Nothing was more important
in the overall life of Jesus than His sacrificial death and resurrection from the dead. And yet, he had time
for Zacchaeus.
The woman with an unstoppable hemorrhage was considered to be unclean, an outcast in society. According to the
religious Jews, this woman had no right to be in a crowd of people or to touch anyone, much less Jesus.
Zacchaeus was a hated tax collector, a sinner in the eyes of all who lived in Jericho. He, too, was a social
outcast.
And yet, Jesus made Himself available both to the hemorrhaging woman and the despised tax collector.
People today are starving for the gifts of time and concern. They are desperate for someone to listen to them
or to pay attention to them. Sometimes those who need our time and attention the most are those who are held in
very low esteem by society. Homeless shelters, prisons, nursing homes, and hospitals for the mentally ill are filled
with people who are lonely and forsaken, outcasts.
On virtually every block in every neighborhood of our nation one can find a person who is in need of a friend
who will simply listen with heartfelt concern. It may be an older person, perhaps one who has recently lost a spouse.
It may be a young mother who stays home alone all day with young children. It may be a sick person or someone who
has retired or lost a job.
We must be available to people in need if we are to serve them as Jesus served.
What the Word Says
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give
You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick,
or in prison, and come to You?” And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as
you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25:37–40).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being (1 Cor. 10:24).
What the Word Says to Me
Step #3: Acceptance
Jesus did not say to Zacchaeus, “Clean up your act. When you stop collecting taxes, I'll come to your house.”
He didn't say to the woman with a flow of blood, “As soon as you stop bleeding, come see me.”
No! Jesus accepted both Zacchaeus and this woman just as they were.
Accepting others does not mean that we accept the way they are without an intent of helping change things for
the better. It means accepting them where they are in order that we might help them move forward in their lives.
Jesus did not leave Zacchaeus the same way He found him. As the result of Jesus going to Zacchaeus' house, Zacchaeus
had a change of heart. In His encounter with the woman who was hemorrhaging, Jesus not only healed her body but
restored her to her community—He made her whole.
Our motivation must always be to serve people in Christ, to help them to become all they can be as God's children.
Acceptance is neither a denial of their current condition nor is it a belief that things can never improve for
the person.
We err greatly if we require others to “get good” before we help them “get God.” God did not place any preconditions
upon us before He forgave us generously. We therefore are in no position to place preconditions upon others. We
must accept them as they are and serve them just as we would serve the most righteous and highly esteemed person
we know. This is the very essence of unconditional love.
• How does it feel to be unconditionally loved and fully accepted by another person? How do you seek to respond
to someone who loves and accepts you fully just as you are?
What the Word Says
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give (Matt.
10:8).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than
to lay down one's life for his friends (John 15:12–13).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Let love be without hypocrisy.… Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference
to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation,
continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality (Rom. 12:9–13).
What the Word Says to Me
Step #4: Abiding
The Scriptures say that Jesus “stayed” at the house of Zacchaeus. He was there long enough for a meal, perhaps
even an overnight stay.
To serve others best, we must “abide” with them. We must walk in their shoes, see things through their eyes,
be close enough to them and spend enough time with them truly to be of lasting benefit to them. Service is not
a “hit-and-run” activity.
Jesus made earth his abode for about thirty years. God did not send His Son to deliver a quick thirty-second
message from a cloud in the sky. He sent Him to live among men and abide with them day in and day out, through
all kinds of circumstances and situations, so that they might truly see Him and know Him fully.
We are called to abide in Christ always—to be in such close relationship with Him and His Word that it is virtually
impossible for others to tell where our thoughts end and His begin, or where our love ends and His begins (John
8:31–32; 15:5).
At the same time, we are to abide in loving relationship with others; we are to be the “body” of Christ. It
is only when we serve others in this way that people can count on us to be there in a time of need. When we abide
with others and remain available to them, over a period of time and in various situations, our witness becomes
truly strong and steadfast to them. When we are in abiding relationships, we draw closer together in God's love.
The person who flits from ministry to ministry, church to church, job to job, or outreach to outreach is far
less effective than the person who puts down roots and chooses to abide in relationship with others.
• In your experience, recall someone whom you believe has chosen to abide with you in steadfast friendship?
How does it feel to have that kind of friend? In what ways do you serve one another?
One of the best examples in the Scriptures of abiding is in the early church. When believers in Christ were
ostracized by their families and friends, they banded together. Many of the new Christians lost their jobs, their
inheritances, or their social standing. Rather than turn away from Christ, however, they turned toward Christ and
toward one another, helping one another in very practical ways and forming a community ofservice that resulted
in adequate provision for all (Acts 2:44–47). The result was a continuing revival. As people saw how the new Christians
loved and cared for one another, they were drawn to Christ as never before.
What was true then is true today. When unbelievers see Christians loving and serving one another, and also reaching
out to others in need, they say, “I want to be a part of that group. I want what those people have.”
What the Word Says
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head
........................................
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore (Ps. 133:1–3).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided
them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from
house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all
the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:44–47).
What the Word Says to Me
Step #5: Abandonment
The ultimate step in service is self-abandonment—laying aside all of one's selfish desires and all of one's
personal agenda in order to do whatever God asks.
When Mary of Bethany broke her bottle of very costly oil of spikenard and poured it over Jesus' feet she engaged
in an act of self-abandonment. Nothing mattered to her but serving Jesus.
When Jesus entered the home of Zacchaeus, He abandoned any concern for His public reputation. He knew the majority
of the people in Jericho would accuse Him of aligning with a sinner. He was willing to risk a loss of general public
esteem in order to bring salvation to the household of Zacchaeus.
When Peter went to the house of Cornelius, he abandoned years of prejudice against Gentiles. He was willing
to go because it was clear to him that God was calling him to go, even if it meant stepping outside the bounds
of his own “comfort zone” (Acts 10).
When four men carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus on a stretcher and tore a hole in the roof in order to
lower him into Jesus' presence when they couldn't get past the crowd in the doorway, they abandoned their own schedule,
their own desires, and what many would have said was their common sense. They let nothing stand in their way of
helping their friend get to Jesus (Mark 2:1–12).
God calls us to abandon our concern for ourselves and to move outside ourselves in service to others. In so
doing, we actually find ourselves and enter into the true meaning for our lives.
Self-abandonment was the message that Jesus had for a rich young man who came to him one day and asked, “Good
Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus reminded him of the commandments, which this man
not only knew but had kept diligently. Being a good, religious man, however, was not enough. Jesus called him to
a degree of abandonment in service. He said, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me” (Mark 10:21). Utter
and complete abandonment to self and self-interests is what Jesus required of this young man—it is also what He
requires of us.
• Have you had an experience in your life in which you abandoned all concern of self to help another person?
How did you feel? What were the results?
• Have you had an experience in which you knew another person was abandoning his or her self-interests to
help you? How did you feel? What was your response?
What the Word Says
Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or
father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold
now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the
age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:29–31).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18).
What the Word Says to Me
Where are You in Your Service?
Once again, the pattern toward full service is this: awareness, availability, acceptance, abiding, and abandonment.
Where are you in your service? To what next step is God calling you?
You must be aware of the needs of others before you will ever make an effort to meet those needs. You must be
available if you are to serve. You must accept others fully, just as they are, if you are to give them the unconditional
love of Christ. It is as you abide with others in fellowship over time that your service becomes steadfast and
reliable, and your heart is knit to the hearts of others whom you are serving and from whom you are receiving service.
Finally, the servant is called to complete abandonment—not merely serving others some of the time, but living in
a constant state of outreach to others at all times—on the job, at home, in the community, at church, and wherever
God leads.
• What new insights do you have into what it means to have a servant's heart?
• In what ways is God challenging you today?
From Developing a Servant's Heart by Charles
Stanley. Copyright 1998 by Charles Stanley.
