by Prince Mathew
Preface for Meditation:
While it is certainly true that Jesus offers "good news" to Zacchaeus by
proclaiming "today salvation has come to this house," there is more to this
story than meets the eye. Tax collectors in Jesus’ time where considered liars
and cheats, and were a branch of the Roman Empire. Zacchaeus is said to be the
"chief tax collector" and as a Jewish man collecting taxes for the Romans from
his fellow Jews, he was public enemy number one. This is why the crowd was so
shocked and disturbed when Jesus calls him down and goes to Zacchaeus’ house. It
wasn’t that Zacchaeus was just a sinner, he was actively exploiting and cheating
his own people. Jesus however comes to each of us with a radical gift of grace.
Grace is given to all people and is a gift none of us deserve. The story of
Zacchaeus demonstrates that Jesus’ love extends to all people and that no one is
forgotten or written off. God does not give up on people and neither should we.
We can take this story even deeper when we think of how Jesus offered grace to
Zacchaeus. When Zacchaeus saw Jesus coming he went up in a Sycamore tree,
presumably to get a better look. Zacchaeus certainly could see more from his
tree but he also was a safe distance away. Perhaps Zacchaeus knew in his heart
that Jesus was coming to change his life, perhaps he knew he wasn’t worthy of
being loved, perhaps he was not wanting to personally engage his faith.
This story has a lot to do with evangelism and how we can be God’s agents of
grace. Jesus consistently went to the people in society who were considered
lesser and offers grace. He consistently seeks out the lost and invites them to
experience God’s love. We find when Jesus actually went to Zacchaeus’ house to
be significant in this story. Jesus goes to where people are to offer grace.
Jesus doesn’t wait for us to come to him, he comes to us. By coming to
Zacchaeus' he also forms a relationship of trust.
To GO! for God we have to find ways to demonstrate God's love in our actions and
form relationships that are built on trust and mutuality. As agents of God’s
grace we are called to meet people where they are and invite them to experience
God’s love, mercy, and grace. So get out there, meet people where they are, and
maybe invite yourself over for dinner!
Bible Reading Passages:
Morning
Bible Verse of the Day:
Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
Monday before Hosanna
St. Luke 19:9
The Holy Lent Archives | Yesterday | Tomorrow