The Seeker of the Lost

“And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:7-10

The Chapel guest speaker on April 10th was Reverend Dr. Garrett Smith, lead pastor at Newton Covenant Church, and father of students Daliya ’24 and Ilana ’28 Smith. Dr. Smith shared his inspiring, unique, and fascinating personal testimony about how the Lord sought him out as a young man. Dr. Smith introduced himself as a “Jewish believer in Jesus.” He grew up in a broken home – his mother struggled with addiction and his parents argued relentlessly and their marriage ended in divorce. His father was Jewish, his mother was raised Mormon, and together they raised their children in the Jewish traditions. After college, Dr. Smith moved to Taiwan, learned Mandarin, and studied Eastern philosophy. He led a nomadic life and traveled all over the world. He was always seeking. He ended up in Israel for a family vacation because his dad wanted to visit the holy land in his old age. Dr. Smith ended up staying in a Christian youth hostel in Jerusalem where the Bible was introduced to him. Over a period of weeks, the Bible literally transformed him and he proclaimed (literally!) that Christ was his savior.

Dr. Smith gave himself a lot of credit for being a seeker, but to his delight, and humbling surprise, Jesus is the ultimate seeker, and saved him. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”. AMEN!

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