Bearing Witness in a World of Enemies

In Luke 19, Jesus shocks the crowd by stopping under a sycamore tree, calling Zacchaeus by name, and inviting Himself over for dinner. To the people watching, this was outrageous. Zacchaeus was a traitor, a thief, the wrong kind of sinner. But to Jesus, he was a man who was lost—and Jesus had come “to seek and save the lost.”

That line, spoken in Jericho on the way to Jerusalem, is more than a summary of Zacchaeus’ story. It is a mission statement for Jesus’ life and for His church. And it’s a mission that will cost us something.

The Cost of Bearing Witness

Hebrews 11 celebrates heroes of the faith—men and women who conquered kingdoms, stopped lions’ mouths, and escaped the edge of the sword. But the chapter quickly turns: “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword” (Heb. 11:36–37).

To bear witness is to tell the truth about Jesus with your life. And the world does not always welcome that truth. For some, the cost will be ridicule. For others, loss of relationships or opportunities. And for a few, it may even mean their lives. From the prophets to the apostles to Christians today, bearing witness has always carried a price.

Enemies or Mission Field?

Part of why this is so costly is because of how the world trains us to think. We are told daily that those who disagree with us are our enemies—that they hate us, so we should hate them back. Our culture thrives on outrage, fear, and division.

But Jesus offers a different lens. Zacchaeus was hated by his community, written off as a collaborator and crook. Yet Jesus didn’t see him as an enemy to be crushed, but as a man to be sought and saved. The crowd muttered, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner” (Luke 19:7). But Jesus saw him as the mission field.

The same is true today. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. If it has flesh and blood, it’s not your enemy—it’s your mission field.

The Witness We Need

So what does faithful witness look like in a polarized world? It looks like courage without compromise—refusing to water down the truth of the gospel. And it looks like love without conditions—extending grace even to those who despise us.

To be a witness is not to win arguments or defeat opponents. It is to live and speak in such a way that people catch a glimpse of Jesus—His truth, His compassion, His power to save.

Zacchaeus’ story ends with repentance and joy. But it began with Jesus seeing him, calling him, and going to his house. If we want to be true witnesses, we must do the same. It will cost us something. But it’s worth it—because Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.