Thoughts from Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) Devotional
Notes
Transcript
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.”
I have 3 simple thoughts, at least today, from this story...
1- Sometimes it’s hard to see Jesus
1- Sometimes it’s hard to see Jesus
Sometimes you have to work to see Jesus!
Let me explain… There are certain crowds, associations, and influences in life that keep us from fully seeing Jesus...
Sometimes the crowd of life (your crowd of influence) clouds your vision of Jesus
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Sometimes, the business, hectic schedule, and worry of life gets in the way of our focus on Christ.
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
What clouds your vision of Jesus?
What situations in life divert your attention from Christ?
Sometimes there is struggle and pain!!
Jesus was near Zacchaeus, but Zacchaeus had to climb the tree to see him...
Many times I've had people say they felt God was distant.. I'm sure we all have felt that way...
What are YOU doing about that?
What are YOU doing when you feel far from Christ?
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
The means of grace can help… Spiritual Disciplines…
Fasting, praying, hospitality, participation in the Sacraments,
When life gets difficult, when the crowd blocks Jesus from you, what is your response? Do you draw closer, do you exert effort to overcome obstacles, or do you give up, turn around, and go home...
Do you persevere and climb the tree, or do you pack up and go home?
Zacchaeus' life was changed because he persevered! He didn't let the crowd keep him from seeing Jesus. He didn't let the struggle ahead keep him from seeing Jesus.
He climbed the tree, saw Jesus, and allowed his life to be changed! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!!
But... he still had to leave the tree when Jesus called him!
2- Sometimes we Do Not Like leaving the tree
2- Sometimes we Do Not Like leaving the tree
If Zacchaeus hadn't accepted Christ's invitation he'd just be a man in the tree…
Christ came and invited himself to Zacchaeus' house… who does that??
Christ invites us into a personal relationship with him but too often we prefer the tree!
We prefer what WE CAN DO to get to Christ over the offer of freedom from doing that christ gives…
Too often we prefer rules, ways to be made righteous, over relationship and knowing the one who declares you righteous...
Zacchaeus' life was changed because he accepted Christ's offer and allowed Christ's presence to transform him.
Too often our lives have fallen apart.
From our stoop we get a glimpse of Jesus and we hear his invite - but we refuse to leave the tree.
We try to do what WE CAN to be made righteous.
We climb the tree to get a better perspective of Christ - but then we stay in the tree.
In order to follow Jesus, you have to leave the tree behind!!
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
True life happens not when we watch Christ from a tree, but when we come down from the tree and follow Christ.
In order to follow Christ we MUST leave our tree
Leave our comfort, security, assurance, stability, human efforts to know God - we leave it all behind to follow Christ.
What is YOUR tree?
Comfort, tradition, expectations, past regrets, assumptions that Jesus would have nothing to do with you, temptations and habits you enjoy…
This is how we are redeemed. This is how we are transformed. WE LEAVE OUR TREE!!
So, what's your tree?
Too often we'd rather cling to our tree and our restlessness than accept Jesus' offer of new life!
What is Jesus challenge to you today?
Jesus comes and offers an invitation that will transform your life. But, the 1st step is to leave our tree...
BUT, there's a big difference between inviting Jesus as a guest in your house and making Jesus Lord of your heart...
To make Jesus Lord of your heart means you must leave the tree and go where Jesus says to go.
3-Sometimes people. can't see Jesus because the crowd is in the way…
3-Sometimes people. can't see Jesus because the crowd is in the way…
Sometimes we are the crowd!
Don't be the crowd that keeps people from seeing Jesus. Instead, be the crowd that leads people to see Jesus, or be the crowd that gets out of the way so people CAN see Jesus.
How do we keep people from seeing Jesus?
Our attitudes, behavior, the words we use, our lack of concern for others…
Not going where the others are - shaming those who reach out to “outsiders”
Scoffing/shaming when people approach Jesus...
These all contribute to people not always being able to see Jesus.
Brennan Manning said...“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
So, be the crowd that leads people to Jesus
Go to the outsider
Share love
Share what it is like to have new life and make it exciting…
Make Jesus as exciting and appetizing as a dog that loves bacon (the dog at the bakery that loves bacon and would get excited when he saw the server because she would be the one who would bring him bacon). The world should be JUST as excited to see us as that dog was to see the waitress!!
Bear the fruit of the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
And better yet… be the crowd that IS Jesus!!! After all you may be the only Jesus people see. They won’t read the Bible, but your life will tell the story of Jesus (or at least to them it will).
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
There is a mandate to reflect God in ALL relationships; a holistic, shalom approach to life
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Compare the 2 crowds...
There is the crowd that blocks people from Jesus
Then there is the crowd that leads people to Jesus and shows people Jesus in how they live and act.
Let’s be the united crowd that shows people Jesus.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The thoughts are this...
Sometimes the situations in life, and our associations, make it difficult for us to see Jesus.
But, we can thank God that before there was that difficulty, or that situation, God planted a tree so that we can climb the tree and see Jesus.
But, sometimes we get comfortable in that tree.
We see Jesus, but we do not want to leave our comforts and truly follow Jesus.
But, to follow Jesus, we must be willing to leave the tree.
And, as we leave the tree, may we not become the crowd that blocks people from seeing Jesus
May we, instead, be the crowd that parts so that people can see Jesus. Maybe, sometimes, we are in the way of people seeing Jesus.
So, may we be UNITED so that as a crowd people see Jesus. May our united purpose be to live and interact with each other and with our world in ways that people can see Jesus