A Different Rich Man

Luke 19:1-10

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 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.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Reflection:

The Lord wants you to know, he never saved you to leave you the same way he found you!

The wonderful message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that the message found within holy scripture is not only words of faith, affirmation, promises, blessings, salvation and/or grace. But, it is a message about a father's love, a son's obedience, and the Holy Spirit and his desire to dwell in the life of  all believer's.

The "good news" is not bad news. It is not only for those faint hearted or broken hearted. You don't have to always be in misery to worship or serve God. The "good news" has been written for the rich and poor, the young and old, the short and tall, and even the big or small. God says in Proverb 22:2 "The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all".  Jesus wants all those listening to know that he is moved by faith. This young rich man named Zacchaeus was found in a city called Jericho, God has an incredible way of setting the stage for a miracle. You see Jericho was a city known for it's walls and God has always had an incredible ability to walk through walls, or tare them down. This city was not only the stage of Old Testament miracle, but the location of a New Testament revelation.

You see the Word of God makes clear that Zacchaeus even though being wealthy, strong, fast and wise he still had barriers or walls to climb or to break in his life. He is like many of us who don't find himself or herself in desperate need for God to manifest himself. He is not someone who is bankrupted or in his or her last leg of the race. But, one thing is clear he still has this innate eagerness to know Christ and the beauty of his bountiful mercy.  His "desire" was all he needed to move the heart of God. Amazed by his willingness to outrun, climb and position himself to meet his Savior, Jesus stop's and looks up at this man that the bible described "small in stature."

For the first time in his life, this young tax collector will not be known or remembered for his incredible ability to collect Roman taxes, but rather for the faith and his willingness to be changed by the presence of Jesus Christ. A simple but passionate invitation of Jesus was enough to change Zacchaeus life, bring him to his knees of conviction, and bring forth an action that will bring salvation to his house and to all who would read his story.

If you find yourself not in need of God because everything is swell, then I challenge you to rethink or consider the message of Zacchaeus. You don't have to be in misery to worship and serve God!