Luke 19:7-10 (The Message)
When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?"
Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, "Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the damages."
Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."
Part two of the Zaccheus story unfolds in dramatic fashion. Our bad, little tax collector scrambles down out of the tree to meet Jesus.
As he stands face to face with God incarnate among us, he does what he does best: tries to cut a deal.
"I'll give...HALF...of everything I have..."
The wonderful news is that Jesus isn't interested in cutting deals. He's interested in relationship, and a heart that seeks to be restored.
"Today is salvation day in this home..." Jesus says, and proclaims that this man is "Zaccheus, Son of Abraham."
Zaccheus...bad, little dude...is a son of Abraham, too.
He was lost, but that's exactly the person that Jesus comes to find.
How's that for a mission statement? Jesus came to seek and save the lost. And none of us are ever too lost to be found by him.
Prayer: In his grace and love, Jesus accepts Zaccheus when the world rejects him. May we know that you love us, too, and may that same love flow from us into the lives of others.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.
Tomorrow's Scripture: Psalm 119:137-144
2 comments:
Question for you Pastor Roberts:
1) Why do we assume Zaccheus is just making a deal? That kinda implies that he maybe thought he should give all he has, but decided to try and see if he could get away with giving JUST half. Like a scheme or scam... Could you elaborate or enlighten me a bit?
Great question Mike. It's definitely my leaning into the text --- making a bit of an assumption that perhaps Zaccheus' response to Jesus is an attempt at "deal cutting," mostly just as a way to remind us that good deeds isn't really what Jesus is looking for.
All of us can have that tendency --- when confronted with the presence of God in our lives, to start shoring things up by listing our acts of goodness, or "works."
The assumption also goes to Zaccheus' identity as chief tax collector, one who in the ancient world made money by extorting it from his own people above that amount required by the Romans.
But a different reading could be this: His offer of 4 times repayment is in keeping with the OT Mosaic law punishment for thieves --- that they would repay 4 times what they stole. So maybe Zaccheus is owning his identity as thief and making a confession.
Great question! Adam
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