TEXTY BREAD (Todays Gospel) Nov. 18, 2014 Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus the Tax Collector ....At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, ...“Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, ...“Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” AMEN! ...We should come down, give to the poor, and repay four times...and the salvation is ours...Zacchaeus remarks in v 8 implies that basically he is an honest person, but in as much as he is a tax collector he cannot but branded and treated a sinner. Tax collectors were agents of a powerful persons or group who paid the Romans a fixed sum in return for being allowed to reimburse themselves by collecting the tax as they saw fit. Partly because they stole and partly because they served the pagans, tax collectors were called sinners, hated and despised. Jesus does not question the branding of tax collectors as sinners. Yet it is precisely the fact that Zacchaeus is a sinner that Jesus invites himself to his house (v 5). He come to seek the sinner, not the already righteous. This kindness on the part of Jesus conquers Zacchaeus. It achieves what no insult or contempt on the part of the teachers of the law and of his fellow citizens could do. Zacchaeus acknowledges his fault in public and promises to make amends, which makes Jesus declares of salvation to him and to the members of his family... REFLECTION: ...It is basic psychology that the more one attacks another as evil or hopeless, the more one alienates the other: Do we have the heart of JESUS or that of the inhabitants of Jericho? ...Have we ever felt like Zacchaeus, avoided and despised? Who were those who understood us or and took our side? PRAYER: ...Lord, come and be with us. LORD, seek us the sinners and help us to be righteous...Fill our house with your presence and fill our hearts with your praise. Help us to show kindness and mercy to all, even those who cause us harm...AMEN.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 03:49:25 +0000
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