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S: Luke 19:7-10
7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " 8But
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." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
O: Why does Zacchaeus offer to give up so much of his wealth? My
inclination is to assume that Zacchaeus was trying to show off to the
people that were muttering, or to impress Jesus of how honored he was
to have Him at his home. If this is the case, then why would Jesus say
"salvation has come to this house" unless Zacchaeus conversion was
genuine? When one welcomes the living Christ into their own home or
life, one is naturally convicted to align his or her life with the ways
of Christ. Also, I noticed how Zacchaeus was able to separate himself
from the judgment of the world (he climbed up a tree for goodness
sakes). It didn't matter what the others said. He was fixated on
meeting Jesus!
A: This passage frustrates me, mainly because I know that in my own
heart, I do respond with such conviction that Zacchaeus had when Christ
invited him into a relationship. Z comes to a fork in the road: either
continue to live out his worldly tax-collector
ways, or give it completely over to God. But there is no middle
ground or room for compromise. He gave up the majority of his wealth.
To follow Jesus was a costly decision, and yet he does it with such
gratitude. There isn't a hint of withholding from God. He is committed.
I think if we only knew what we were getting into when decide to follow
Christ, our lives would look radically different.
P: Lord, I want to live my life in utter abandon like Zacchaeus who gave all he had to follow you. Amen.
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| | Posted 8/8/2008 2:44 PM - 9 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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