July 24, 2019

BIBLE READING: Luke 19

8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Here we are introduced to Zacchaeus, a short tax collector. Yes, I have had my far share of short Zacchaeus jokes, but in all seriousness, he was not very liked as a tax collector. He tended to cheat and steal from those who he collected from. What we see here, is a beautiful picture of grace. A person, who had lied, cheated, and stole, and that everyone disliked him. Jesus wanted to befriend and show his wonderful grace to him. Jesus was often condemned for talking to people like this, but it shows that God’s grace and salvation are for all.
How many times are we too intimidated or feel like we are out of place to share the gospel with others. Maybe we think the person is different than we are or maybe they would react back harsh to us. We all were sinners and needed God’s wonderful gift of Salvation. We see here Jesus did not care about Zacchaeus social status or how much he had done, but his most important need. All need the gift of salvation, it is our responsibility to share and live the gospel.
David Fulp II
Children’s Pastor