Luke 19:8
“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.’ ”
His name was Zacchaeus and he was a wealthy tax collector from Jericho. The tax collectors of Jesus’ day were not the most popular people. As a matter of fact they were possibly on the lowest rung of the ladder of popularity.
This man Zacchaeus was not only wealthy, but in this chapter we are told that he was short. How short was he? He wanted to see Jesus, but he couldn’t see over the crowd. (That is how short he was!)
A man with his position and reputation might be expected to show restraint and aplomb, but not our man Zack. He wanted to see Jesus so much that he ran around the crowd to a place where he knew Jesus would pass. In order to see him better, he even climbed up into a tree. (So much for showing restraint and aplomb)!
The unbelievable happened. Jesus stopped and called him by name. How did Jesus know? He is the One who created all things and He knows every hair on our head. He knows each tiny sparrow by name. It was natural that Jesus knew the heart of this man and told him that He, Jesus was going to have a meal with him at his house.
During that meal we see a righteous man revealed. In today’s passage Zack suddenly declares that he is giving half of all he owns to the poor. Wow! How many of us are that committed? He goes on to reveal just how righteous he has been. He agrees to pay back four times the amount if he has been guilty of cheating anybody. Do the math–he has just given away half of his wealth so if he was guilty he would not have enough to repay four times over what he was guilty of cheating someone.
Answer these questions: Are we so anxious to see Jesus that we forget what others will think? Can we honestly say that we are guilt free in our dealings with others? Think about it!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil (360) 570-0074
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