THE STORY OF ZACCHAEUS

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As we come to the 19th chapter of Luke we are treated to the delightful story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Let’s check it out:

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 what was lost."

Wow! This is a fascinating story of a heart transformation. Here the chief tax collector is apprehended by Jesus while perched up in a sycamore tree. The scene is so visual. Zacchaeus is up in a tree so he can get a glimpse of Jesus. Everyone is talking about it. And, while waiting up there in the tree, Jesus looked up and invited Himself to lunch—at Zach’s house. Talk about a shocker—for both Zacchaeus and the people watching!

I love what happens here. This is a divine appointment of the highest kind. Probably it was at the gathering at Zach’s house, Zacchaeus stood up and made a most interesting pronouncement. He declared that he will give half of all his possessions to the poor and he will pay back four times the amount to those he has cheated. This is so typical. Simply by a personal encounter with Jesus, Zach is a transformed man and wants to pay back all he owes them, give half of what he makes to the poor and give four times the amount to those he has already cheated.

What happened? I think it’s quite simple. Any time a person enters into an encounter with Jesus, he is changed. Zach Is coming alongside Jesus and is thoroughly changed by doing this.

Then Jesus expresses what many believe is the key verse of the book of Luke. He says, “For the son of man has come to seek and to save those who are lost.” Jesus’ relentless search for you and me is absolutely amazing. Jesus will go to extreme measures to interrupt what you’re doing in order to bring you back to Himself.

I think what strikes me the deepest is the immediacy of Zach’s heart to repay those he has cheated. It’s as if when Jesus entered the picture, Zach’s other gods or focal points of his life meant nothing. The same is true today. When you see Jesus for what and who he is, nothing else matters. Paul speaks of this in the letter to the followers of Jesus in the book of Colossians. I love this passage where Paul says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.”

Now I ask you, if you are having lunch with the one who embodies all the fullness of God, wouldn’t your life be changed, too? I think everyone ought to meet Jesus for lunch, because that luncheon will transform your entire life. Maybe that ought to be our daily prayer. Lord, “I want to have lunch with Jesus today.” Then after that lunch, you will never recover. Why? Because once you have been apprehended in your heart by Jesus, nothing else matters.

BLIND BEGGAR REGAINS HIS SIGHT

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As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Contrast this blind beggar outside of Jericho with the rich, young ruler—from the “seemingly” most desirable disciple to “seemingly” the most undesirable. Certainly the rich businessman seems to be the one who had more potential of advancing the kingdom. However, this is not kingdom thinking, but worldly. Remember, always check your thinking and you will see that many times what Jesus would do will be the opposite.

In Mark’s gospel this beggar is identified as Bartimaeus. This poor man has developed a lifestyle of begging for a living along the road in and out of Jericho.

Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" 
 "Lord, I want to see," he replied.

NOTE blind Bart called Jesus “Son of David” which is a messianic title—the promised descendant of King David. It’s interesting to note that since it was mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus, this is the first time He has been called Son of David. And, in a few days He will be greeted and welcomed as the Son of David as He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. This is the reason why Bartimaeus wasn’t asking Jesus for money as he did to all of the others who passed by. He was asking for more than that—to see again! Jesus seems to make a point of this by asking him what he wanted Jesus to do for him. And blind Bart’s answer was, “I want to see.”

Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Jesus’ response to Bart’s request to see was specifically answered and attributed to his faith. He had a faith that didn’t fly in the wind nor did it take no for an answer.

This blind beggar on the side of the road with a persistent and stubborn faith serves as an example for us all. What I like best is how quickly the formerly blind Bart began his journey of following Jesus. That’s the ultimate proof of the genuineness of his faith. Remember Jesus said, “He who hears my word and practices it is like a man who builds his house on a rock. He who hears my word and doesn’t practice it is like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand without a firm foundation.”

ONE MORE THING. Jesus was drawn to this man because of his brokenness. His brokenness or blindness is the connector to Jesus. This blindness didn’t keep Bart from pursuing the ultimate answer to his problems. And, He knew that this man would be useful to Him on His journey to Jerusalem, so he allowed him to follow alongside Him.

In so many cases, the gateway to Jesus is through our brokenness. Jesus came as a great physician, looking for sick people. He was not making a list of those who were well without any needs. He continually gravitated toward the broken, the bruised, the addicted and the poor. The only thing I have to share with Jesus that will get His attention right away is my brokenness. This is why I am always yelling out to Jesus like the blind man, “Hey Jesus, over here! “

It’s like the young man who said: “Jesus, I have a problem. It’s me.” And Jesus quickly replies, “My son, I have the answer. It’s Me.”

THE REWARD FOR FOLLOWING JESUS

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Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!"

The rich, young ruler has heard Jesus' direction to him: "Sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then come, follow me." The man walked away sad and, no doubt, Jesus was also saddened by this encounter when He said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

This statement may have caused more confusion than you might think. Remember Job? As long as he was rich, he was viewed as a blessed man of God. And, when his riches were taken away, the assumption was that he had sinned. This rich, young ruler was probably viewed by many as a very spiritual man—blessed by God. So, if this man who was keeping the law and seemed to be blessed by God with his wealth wasn’t going to make it into salvation, then, “Who is going to be saved?”

The rich trust in their wealth to open doors of heaven for them. But the net value of their wealth in heaven is zip. Jesus makes it clear that only if they become as little children will they enter the kingdom.

It’s in this context that Peter says, "We have left all we had to follow you.” It was a statement begging some sort of response. Matthew’s gospel adds the words, “What then will there be for us?”

Jesus answers Peter's question simply: "Truly I tell you," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life."

The point here seems to be that your reward for being faithful and giving your all will be highly abundant. Matthew and Mark’s account give specifics of reaping 100 times—super abundant results.

To me Jesus is saying simply this: YOU CAN’T OUTGIVE GOD. Whatever you think you have given up for Jesus and the Kingdom will be abundantly supplied back to you. This abundant reward is both near and far—temporal and eternal.

This reminds me of the kingdom parable where the man found a treasure in a field, hid it and then went back and sold all he had in order to buy the land. Or, the parable about diligently searching for a fine pearl. And, when he finds it, goes and sells all that he has to purchase that pearl. One comes into the kingdom by surprise and the other by careful searching. But both of them see the kingdom for its invaluable quality and go for it with their whole hearts.

We can all become a little discouraged from time to time. But know for certain that whatever you have given up for Jesus and the kingdom will be abundantly rewarded. You can count on it. So, with a reckless abandon give it all up for Him. You’ll never regret it!

RICH MAN AND THE KINGDOM

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A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'" "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

This ruler is apparently a leader, a successful businessman. Matthew writes about this man, too, and describes him as a young man who had an abundance of possessions.

His question is a powerful and pointed one. He must be feeling some sense of spiritual inadequacy. He seems to believe that eternal life is something you can earn or inherit or acquire.

NOTE the rich, young ruler, even though he had been keeping the commandments, he still felt a lack in his life. Jesus perceptively targets in on that lack. Note what happens: When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Jesus here gives the answer to the original question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The answer? DON’T LET ANYTHING YOU HAVE OR YOU ARE SEPARATE YOU FROM YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. He goes on to say, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, THEN you will have treasure in heaven. THEN COME, FOLLOW ME.” This is a tough saying, yet very, very simple. Eternal life has everything to do with a relationship—FOLLOW ME. In this man’s case, it was necessary to say to him to sell all and give to the poor in order to get to the heart of his real god he was holding on to.

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God."

The rich, young ruler was sad, because he knew what Jesus was saying to him was true. It was his wealth that was keeping him from entering the kingdom of God. It’s important to note that it is not his wealth per se, but his holding it closely as something too dear to him—even more important than a relationship with God. This is proven by his sadness and that instead of coming to Jesus in order to follow Him, he was obviously going to walk away.

NOTE the question that was asked Jesus: Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with human beings is possible with God."

Jesus’ answer was clear. No matter who you are—rich or poor, being saved or having eternal life or entering into the kingdom of God is an impossibility in human terms, but not with God. With God the impossible becomes possible.

Over the years I’ve traveled into the Middle East. And, in Jerusalem it is continually explained what it means for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. They show you a small opening that a camel on its knees and stripped of all of its baggage could squeeze through with great difficulty. That sounds like it may be true. But then I came to realize Jesus’ words here. This salvation thing is not just difficult, but impossible. So, it makes so much more sense to me now that having salvation from God (eternal life) for a rich person who has so many things to distract him away from God is like a camel going through a large knitting needle. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE! BUT GOD specializes in the impossible. What is impossible with humans is possible with God. Talk about AMAZING GRACE—how sweet the sound!

JESUS AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN

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In just three verses in Luke 18:15-17 we have the message of the kingdom bottom-lined and it’s all about being like a child.

People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

In the parable just before this story about children Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humblesw himself will be exalted.” Now Jesus says, “You must receive the kingdom of God like a little child in order to enter into the kingdom.” This seems to be saying the same thing. And, there seem to be several ways we can hinder children from coming to Jesus.

The theme here is: Disciples of Jesus must remove all hindrances that keep children from coming to Jesus. The disciples were slightly annoyed that people were bringing babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. They scolded those who were bringing the babies to Jesus. They certainly didn’t seem to think that children were strategic appointments for Jesus to bother with.

Jesus took this opportunity to make an important illustration out of this incident. Jesus ignored their rejection of the babies and countermanded what they were doing. He invited all of the little children to come to Him. He gives a most significant reason for embracing the children. The reason? The kingdom of God belongs to the little children.

Then Jesus makes a most amazing statement which is the lesson He wanted to make clear: “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Two things come to light here: FIRST—Don’t hinder the children in any way from coming to Jesus. So, what are the things that we do that might hinder children from coming to Jesus.
1. Our pride in thinking that children don’t know enough and haven’t lived long enough to understand the things of Jesus.
2. Parental beliefs—There are two ways to hinder children from coming to Jesus. One is to indoctrinate your children with your beliefs. If you do this without encouraging your kids to think it through on their own to embrace it for themselves, you run the risk of propagandizing your children to believe what you believe without thinking about it. This will most surely set your children up for losing their (your) beliefs later, when attacked. The second is to ignore sharing any sort of beliefs with your children, believing they must be left alone to figure it out on their own. This sets your children up to be lost and confused throughout their lives. There is nothing redeeming about this approach at all.

The best way is for you to embrace your beliefs personally and to set an example for your children. This sets up your children to be more fully persuaded by the observation and influence of your life, based upon your relationship together. If you don’t possess certain qualities, you can’t pass them on to your children. But, most importantly, from your own faith and lifestyle you have the opportunity to advance the conversation about faith and about Jesus.

The SECOND thing that comes to light for me in this passage is the clear understanding regarding who will enter the kingdom of God. Jesus says that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he comes as a little child. What are the characteristics of a little child? A few obvious ones are a simplicity, pure heart and thinking, inquisitive, an openness to learn and a curiosity.

Possibly the best characteristic of all is that children are trusting. I think this is what Jesus loves the most. He is looking for and waiting for “ANYONE” who will come to Him with simple and pure trust. For adults this is very difficult; for children it’s easy and very natural. So, come to Jesus as little children.