ESOCS Devotional 11 October 2024 – The Greatest Decision Ever
MEMORY 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 and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all 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.”
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Zacchaeus’ life was successful by worldly measure. The Bible says he had an important job as Chief Tax Collector (this title is found nowhere else in the New Testament); and it made him rich. But we learn from the story that he wasn’t happy and fulfilled because his riches were gained by extorting people. All of that changed when he met Jesus.
The familiar story tells of Jesus passing through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem through dense crowds who clamored to see Him. Since Zacchaeus was short, he set aside his dignity and climbed up a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Jesus. To his delight (and surprise, no doubt), Jesus called him down by name and invited him to dinner! As far as we know, the two had never met; so, it must have caught Zacchaeus by surprise that Jesus knew his name. Jesus already knew the man and sought a relationship with him. In the hours that followed, Jesus must have said many things that resonated deeply with Zacchaeus because he was inspired to make a grand gesture.
The Bible says, “Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold” (Luke 19:8). It’s not unlikely that such a thing might have bankrupted Zacchaeus: notice here that Jesus did not try to talk him out of it. He said, “Today salvation has come to this house since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9-10). The word “for” is explanatory. This is what Jesus was and is all about: Helping all of us make the most of our lives.
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus but not nearly as much as Jesus wanted to see him! When Zacchaeus met Jesus, his perspective radically changed and Jesus declared victory. The singular reason there is expansion the lack of knowledge of God and His ways today in the world is because of our generational refusal to deliberately invite Jesus into our lives. Everywhere, nearly in every street, there are handful of churches; yet, when we talk, we sound very childish and unskilled. Zacchaeus was a victim not until he met with the Lord. Why wait thou? Jesus just gave out an open invite. Would you want to host Him in your house today?
- The best thing anyone can do to himself or herself is to invite Jesus into his or her life.
- Lord Jesus, I truly open my heart to you today. Please, come and live in me that I may not perish out of your holy ways.
Further Reading: Job 20:1-end; Proverbs 16:1-end; 1 Corinthians 15:41-49
ESOCS Devotional 11 October 2024
