A 5-day per week study.
May 15 – Reading Luke 19:1-10
Read and believe in Jesus.
“Today, salvation has come to this house.” Luke 19:9
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The Gospel according to Luke
Review – On the road outside Jericho, Jesus healed a blind beggar, who already believed He was Israel’s Messiah. Now that faith blossomed, and he was able to see again. His first sight? The Messiah of Israel. After that, the seeing beggar followed Jesus, glorifying God. He would probably not be a beggar much longer.
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Vss. 19:1-4
Jesus and the rejoicing crowd now entered through Jericho’s gates. Inside, there lived a wealthy, shrewd chief tax collector named Zacchaeus. Zach was a short guy. Maybe his small stature was what led him to become an important and very rich tax collector. Instead of being mocked for his size, he would get “some respect” (or fear) from the people.
But Zach was curious about the uproar in his city. Why the crowd? What for the noise? He just HAD to see.
Of course, being barely over 4 feet tall among much taller people, he’d probably been used to climbing trees to see better. There, he could get a good look at the crowd and who was at the center. Yes, it was a bit embarrassing. He had to make sure his gorgeous robes covered his “nether parts” and that he did not lose a sandal when astride a fat limb. Perhaps there was a certain tree that he knew well that he could scurry right up and be among the leaves before anyone noticed.
But someone noticed.
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Vss. 19:5-7.
“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.'”
WHAT? WOW!
“So Zachhaeus hurried and came down and received Him joyfully.”
Wow, Someone actually wanted to fellowship and dine with this tax collector … someone who obviously was not wealthy himself. This man looked plain and even, poor. But oh, that face! Love seemed to shine out continuously.
OF COURSE, there were those – probably most of the crowd that followed – who did NOT APPROVE of Jesus eating/staying with a “sinner,” a hated Tax Collector (even IF one of his own disciples was a former collector for Rome).
But Jesus came for sinners. He saw the emptiness in Zach’s soul, the dissatisfaction of all that money (which could not buy love or even friendship), and He LOVED him.
Zachhaeus became a believer in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son and Lamb of God. As proof, well, take a look at what he did that proved his changed heart.
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Vss. 19:8-10.
“Behold, Lord (Yes, Jesus must be your Savior AND Lord), the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold!”
You might think, well, what is so amazing about this?
- First, his WILLINGNESS to admit his crimes and make amends for his greed and fraud.
2. The Law required 20% extra when restoring money that a Jew defrauded from others. Zach offered 400%!
3. AND, on top of that, he pledged – not 10% – but HALF his wealth to go to the poor. (And he was very rich.)
Zachhaeus’ heart had been changed. The Bible doesn’t say that he left all to follow Jesus as Matthew had done. But his salvation had greatly improved his standing in the eyes of the people. His money gladly flowed to them, the cheated and the poor. Perhaps he remained as a Roman Tax Collector, but I believe his fees were now true and fair. And… he “maybe” even regularly hosted meals for the poor (just conjecture on my part.)
We DO know that this short-statured man must have become “taller” in the eyes of the people. He had a new attitude and a new life within him… Jesus.
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(Did our lives change so much when we became believers? The gentle, loving Savior living in us surely must have made us love and share with one another more. “Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” “God IS love.” 1 John 4:7-8)
Morning Meditations 