February 20, 2022 Bible Reading
Zacchaeus
We all have had these moments in life when what we saw and wanted was out of our reach.
Maybe it is the cookie jar on the countertop as a child or the desire to dunk the basketball as an adolescent or even an adult. The desire is there, but we lack some of the practical components.
Luke writes about a man named Zacchaeus who was facing this same dilemma. (Luke 19)
All that Zacchaeus desired that day was to be able to see Jesus. The whole town was talking about this man, but Zacchaeus did not have much going for him.
As a tax collector, he was not liked by the community and wouldn't get much help from the neighbors. The worst part was that he was short in stature and couldn't see over the crowd. This was an obstacle to overcome.
Zacchaeus could have given up the fight, thrown in the towel, and settled for what he considered the end, desired unfulfilled.
That's not how this story ends. Zacchaeus looked for a solution and found it in a tree. A tree that he climbed and got noticed by the One he desired to see.
Most likely, Zacchaeus didn't know how his day would end, but the impact of His encounter with Jesus not only fulfilled a desire, it changed the course of his life, so much we read about him centuries later.
When you make Christ your Ride or Die, you are giving Him the opportunity to fulfill His desires through and leave a legacy for others to remember.
Look for a tree.
By: John Lanza, Pastor at Glad Tidings Assembly of God, Middletown, PA
Today’s Verse:
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
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.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10, NIV)
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.