Daily Manna 21 June
KEY VERSE: “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” – (Luke 19:9)
TEXT: Luke 19:1-10
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up [a]and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, [b]make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he [c]made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all [d]complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Societies often construct artificial barriers that promote some and denigrate others. They decide how their various segments are perceived, what is expected of them, and draw a line beyond which social integration is not permitted. Therefore, some powerful voices rise in the society, to tear down the barriers. From the beginning of creation, there has been no voice more powerful than that of Jesus Christ. He spoke clearly with His words and even more loudly with His life.
On the way to Jerusalem, He must first transit through Jericho. One man in particular, Zacchaeus, a corrupt tax collector, was desperate to see Jesus. The crowd around Jesus put him off because he was small of stature. He ran and climbed a tree and waited patiently for Jesus to pass through. When Jesus got there, He looked up, and seeing Zacchaeus, called him. The man hastily came down, and while the crowd murmured that Jesus should have nothing to do with him, Zacchaeus began to confess his sins to the Lord.
He promised to give out half of his wealth to the poor and to pay a four-fold reparation to anyone he had defrauded. That was all Jesus needed and He declared to Zacchaeus that salvation had come to him and his house because He came “to seek and to save… [the] lost.”
We must never rule out anyone from receiving salvation, irrespective of their sinful life. They may be crooked, notorious and wicked, but Jesus died for them too. When we show love and bring them to the Lord, their hearts are transformed, and this is demonstrated in their outward conduct. They begin a new life that makes their community better and gives them hope of spending eternity with God in heaven.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Jesus receives those who come to Him with an open heart.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 3-4
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Heart For The Lost – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 21 June 2021
