Received, Reconciled and Repurposed
We have a President who has repeatedly put his interests over the interests of the people he is supposed to be serving, and continues to persecute anyone that he perceives has wronged him. But in Luke 19:1–10 Jesus encounters such a man, Zaccheus, and calls him into relationship with God. Knowing that Jesus saw him and the God in him, transformed Zaccheus from a taker to a giver, and in the process he received salvation. I pray that you can help someone see Jesus and be seen by Jesus so that they can be saved and repurposed for His service. Amen
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. (Luke 19:1–4)
This story of Jesus and Zaccheus is one that is so familiar to us from our childhood. We have these images in our minds of this small man scrambling up a sycamore tree just to be able to see Jesus as He was passing through. As a child we were fixated on his stature and just the fact that an adult would scramble up a tree to see Jesus. It all had quite an appeal to us as children who were small in stature and enjoyed climbing trees and were learning to love Jesus. But as an adult we start to see other aspects of this man Zaccheus. We begin to understand his wealth and how he obtained it as a tax collector who oppressed his own people on behalf of and with the full force of the Roman government. And we realize that this man was not just small physically …he was small psychologically in the way he treated those that God loves.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” (Luke 19:5–7)
The man who scrambled up the sycamore-fig tree to see Jesus, was now himself seen by Jesus! And not only was he seen, but the Savior knew his name and called him down from the tree to eat and fellowship with him. The fact that Jesus wanted to sit down and eat in the house of this man who had mistreated God’s people and oppressed them on behalf of the hated Roman government, stunned the people who were there! The people in the crowd knew Zaccheus as a pariah, and they reacted to Jesus statement with questions and disgust. But the Lord didn’t just see Zaccheus the man, He saw the image of God beneath the ugliness of his actions. And Jesus called out Zaccheus so that He could reconnect him to the God who cares for and about His people.
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:8–10)
Because Jesus reconnected and restored him back into right relationship with God, Zaccheus responded with a desire to make restitution to those he had wronged and give aid to the poor and needy. Jesus concluded this pericope by affirming that Zaccheus would receive salvation that very day, because his heartfelt response to Jesus showed him to be a true descendant of Abraham’s righteousness. Zaccheus had lost his way, but he found that God wanted to restore him back to righteousness and salvation. And not just him, but Jesus came so that all those who were separated from God and thought to be “lost” could be saved.
Conclusion
Jesus came to save those who are lost. He saw Zaccheus as a lost child of God who could be saved. And Jesus actions not only led Zaccheus to salvation, but it led the people to be blessed by a changed man who went from being a taker to being a giver. He became a steward who realized his resources were best used by helping others in need. Zaccheus went from being a “small” man to being a man of largesse (generosity). With Zaccheus’ story, we are reminded that Jesus wants to save all who will come to Him. And those who come to Jesus with their whole heart will be received (by Jesus), reconciled (saved) and repurposed (transformed) for His service. Praise God!
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
