[1]NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies For Life curriculum.
Bible Passage: Luke 19:1-10
Discussion Questions:
— When have you gone out of your way to find answers to difficult questions?
— What motivates believers to help others experience God’s grace?
— How can our group be a place that shows grace to others?
Food for Thought:
In the story of Zacchaeus, Jesus demonstrates His care for social outcasts, those deemed unacceptable or inferior. His willingness to extend grace to them should compel believers to do the same.
Luke tells us that Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and rich. The term “chief” likely means he gave oversight to other tax collectors and took a cut of their collections. Tax collectors were allowed to assess some taxes at their discretion. This made Zacchaeus rich and gave him the reputation of being dishonest and a thief.
Tax collectors worked for the Roman government, which meant a Jewish tax collector was colluding with the enemy. No doubt Zacchaeus was viewed as a traitor, betraying the Jewish people and their culture. His continual contact with Gentiles made him ceremonially unclean, so he was treated as an outcast, a person to be avoided at all costs. This was the pain Zacchaeus carried with him daily.
When Zacchaeus heard Jesus was in town he was determined to see him. There was just one problem: Zacchaeus was a short man. His stature and the size of the crowd would keep him from seeing Jesus, but this didn’t deter Zacchaeus. He calculated Jesus’ potential path and then climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Him pass. In an ironic twist, Jesus was determined to see Zacchaeus.
This story is a vivid picture of God’s grace. Grace shows God’s commitment to sinners. Jesus knew Zacchaeus and called him by name. Grace accepts sinners. Grace will risk being uncomfortable with sinful behavior in order to have the opportunity to invite others to receive God’s gift of salvation.
Grace is necessary. Grace makes salvation possible. Grace is powerful. Grace is often defined as “God’s unmerited favor” or “receiving something good that we don’t deserve.”
Whenever a person is truly transformed by the grace of God, things change. The story of Zacchaeus illustrates this truth: when we are transformed by God’s grace, we treat others with grace. Because we have received favor from God that we do not deserve, we in turn extend favor to others in the way we treat them.
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life connects the Bible to life for adults, students, and kids. Bible Studies for Life helps individuals and groups know God’s Word through trustworthy content, creates biblical community through engaging and conversational group studies, and helps people engage the culture missionally by unpacking what the Bible says about real-life issues. More information can be found at Lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife [2].
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by Lifeway can be found at Lifeway.com/SundaySchool [3].
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