Thursday Devotion: Luke 19:1-10

Skirting the edges of society we typically find the dregs, the bottom dwellers, the "scum of the earth," which comparatively speaking is us when we talk about Jesus. Like when Jesus was going to the river Jordan to be baptized by John, John proclaims that he is unworthy to untie the laces of Jesus' sandals. We're talking John the Baptist sees himself as beyond the clutches of Jesus, so who are we to even gaze upon him from a high tree? We're not.

We are unworthy of the gift of grace that was bestowed upon us through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but it is finished. It was done. It has been poured out upon us so that we might live and live freely to love one another. To provide sustenance to those who hunger and thirst; support to those who have loved and lost; a helping hand to those who stumble and fall. We are called to do all of these things, but we are also empowered to do them because God calls us by name. God calls out to us from the wilderness, from the mountain tops and from the eyes of our neighbors.

Here we have the story of a bottom dweller being called, by name, to come out of the tree and be host to Jesus. God calls us by name to enter into relationship with him, so that we may better serve others. Here the power of the presence of Jesus is so powerful that the bottom dweller commits half of his wealth to those who need it, promises to pay back 4x what he has swindled, and gets to eat a meal with Jesus--all while being the talk of the town.

He was a sinner.

Jesus called to him.

Jesus ate with him.

Jesus gave him an out.

We often find ourselves up in a tree trying to merely glimpse the power of God. We are searching high and low for the power to sustain our lives so we can continue to pour into others, but God is with us always and God is always calling us by name...

Come down from that tree, we have work to do.
Come down from that tree, we have love to spread.
Come down from that tree, we have food to prepare.
Come down from that tree, I am calling you by name, and I love you.

Amen.

Luke 19:1-10 New International Version

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
⁸ 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.”
⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”