Zach was a rich government contractor with a pretty sketchy reputation. But when word came a noted preacher was in town, Zach decided he wanted to hear what he had to say. He scrambled to find a place where he could see the preacher going past, but the preacher looked directly at Zach and said, I want to spend some time with you. Zach jumped down, excited to learn more. As a consequence, Zach promised to change his life so that generosity to the poor and restitution where he had cheated in the past became his goal. Jesus was happy for Zaccheus. When Luke recounted the story he ended with this truth: The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.*
Jesus did not come to hobnob with the rich and famous. He did not come to rub elbows with the publicly religious. He did not come to get his own ego inflated.
Jesus did come to reconcile broken, lonely, frightened, confused people with the God who created them for a life free from all that. By submitting to the death on the cross, Jesus Christ poured his blood over all our sins, errors, mistakes and brokenness. By this act all which separated us from God was rendered powerless before God.
But we are stuck with our own bad habits of thinking we have to be good enough, or that we are OK as things are (until something goes wrong), or that God can't be interested in us in the scope of the universe. So besides submitting to the cross, Christ expounded on the law to explain its true purpose, to guide us to less destructive ways of living. And He goes even further. God does not just want us to avoid pain to ourselves; God's intent is that the relationship be fully restored so that the blessings of peace, hope, joy, trust and purpose would be available to us to the extent we make room for them by letting go of bad habits like anger, resentment, fear, hopelessness and despair.
Like Zach/Zaccheus we each have the opportunity to speak honestly and directly with Jesus today. We call it prayer and thoughtfulness.
What if there is a better something waiting for you?
*Luke 19: 1-10
Jesus did not come to hobnob with the rich and famous. He did not come to rub elbows with the publicly religious. He did not come to get his own ego inflated.
Jesus did come to reconcile broken, lonely, frightened, confused people with the God who created them for a life free from all that. By submitting to the death on the cross, Jesus Christ poured his blood over all our sins, errors, mistakes and brokenness. By this act all which separated us from God was rendered powerless before God.
But we are stuck with our own bad habits of thinking we have to be good enough, or that we are OK as things are (until something goes wrong), or that God can't be interested in us in the scope of the universe. So besides submitting to the cross, Christ expounded on the law to explain its true purpose, to guide us to less destructive ways of living. And He goes even further. God does not just want us to avoid pain to ourselves; God's intent is that the relationship be fully restored so that the blessings of peace, hope, joy, trust and purpose would be available to us to the extent we make room for them by letting go of bad habits like anger, resentment, fear, hopelessness and despair.
Like Zach/Zaccheus we each have the opportunity to speak honestly and directly with Jesus today. We call it prayer and thoughtfulness.
What if there is a better something waiting for you?
*Luke 19: 1-10
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