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Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International. |
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Beautiful Messes: Zacchaeus
"When Jesus
came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name! 'Zacchaeus! he said.
'Quick! Come down! For I am going to be a guest in your home today!' Zacchaeus hurriedly
climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the
crowds were displeased. 'He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,'
they grumbled. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, 'Sir, from
now on I will give half my wealth to the poor, and if I find I have overcharged
anyone on his taxes, I will penalize myself by giving him back four times as
much!' Jesus told him, 'This shows that salvation has come to this home today.
This man was one of the lost sons of Abraham, and I, the Messiah, have come to
search for and to save such souls as his.'"1 Zacchaeus
was a man that traded relationships for wealth. He was despised by his neighbors
because he gained his wealth by stealing from others. Because of these poor
decisions, Zacchaeus was lonely, which is perhaps why he was so eager and
curious to get a glimpse of Jesus firsthand. In addition to being a thief, Zacchaeus
was also a short man. If you went to Sunday school as a child, you probably remember
singing about Zacchaeus being a "wee little man". Being short myself, I can
imagine that Zacchaeus received the same kind of criticism that I received growing
up, which many times has the tendency to make you feel left out. When he heard
that Jesus was coming to town, he had no choice but to climb up a tree to be
able to see Jesus! Even his great wealth couldn't fill the great void in his
heart that, as he would soon find out, only Jesus could fill. I love the
story of Zacchaeus because his life may have been messy, but to Jesus, he was
beautiful and important. Jesus enthusiastically called him by name, shared life
with him in his home, and changed the course of his life by giving him salvation.
Zacchaeus realized what he had done, planned to fix his mistakes, and most
importantly opened his heart to the Savior. Regardless of what others were
saying, Jesus went where he was needed the most and showed love to a lonely
thief. Have you
ever felt left out? Have you ever made mistakes that have damaged relationships
with others? The Bible says all of us have sinned, which is why we need Jesus.
He is the only one who can change our heart, restore our brokenness, and
forgive our sins. Jesus wants you, my friend. We may find ourselves trapped in
a big mess, but even then, Jesus is waiting with arms wide open, ready to give us
a hope and a future. We just need to invite him in. Suggested
prayer: Dear God, I have made mistakes. Perhaps I have been selfish and put my
own needs before those of the people around me. Please forgive me. I ask that
you change my heart and restore me. Fill me with your love and the joy of your salvation
and allow it to overflow to the people around me. Help me ask forgiveness where
needed and be more like you in all I do. Thank you for making beautiful things out
of messes. In Jesus' name, amen. Luke 19:5-10 (TLB). |
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