Too Far Gone
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus had to pass through Jericho. There lived a very wealthy man named Zacchaeus, who supervised all the tax collectors. He was very eager to see Jesus and kept trying to get a look at him through the massive crowd. Since Zacchaeus was a short man and couldn’t see over the heads of the people, he ran on ahead of everyone and climbed up a blossoming fig tree to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed by. When Jesus got to that place, he looked up into the tree and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry on down, for I must stay at your house today!”
So he scurried down the tree and found himself face-to-face with Jesus. As Jesus left to go with Zacchaeus, many in the crowd complained, “Look at this! Of all the people to have dinner with, he’s going to eat in the house of a crook.”
Zacchaeus was amazed over his gracious visit to his home and joyously welcomed Jesus. Zacchaeus stood in front of the Lord and said, “Half of all that I own I will give to the poor. And Lord, if I have cheated anyone, I promise to pay them back four times as much as I stole.”
Jesus said to him, “Your repentance shows that today life has come to you and your household, and that you are a true son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to seek out and to give life to those who are lost.” Luke 19:1-10
Insight
The story of Zacchaeus is familiar to many of us who grew up in the Church. Some of you are humming that Vacation Bible School song as we speak. But, before we dive in, take a moment to ask God to open your eyes to something new in this account. No matter how many times we’ve read a piece of Scripture, God can reveal more of His heart to us as we come back and reread it.
Whenever we read the Word, we should ask ourselves: what do these words tell me about the character of my Savior? So, let’s dive into what this narrative teaches us about Who Jesus is and how He asks us to respond to His love.
Jesus seeks out the lost, broken, and unnoticed.
Everyone who knew Zaccheaus believed he was too far gone for redemption and salvation. Don’t we feel the same about people in our own lives? There are people in my life that I’ve refused to share the Gospel with because I assume they’ll never be willing or able to receive the truth. But our Savior never believes any of His children are far from redemption. Our God is powerful enough to save any and every hardened heart. When we think that God cannot save someone, we believe that His power is limited. In effect, we are proclaiming that His grace is finite. But Jesus reminds us that true love (the kind that chases people down and refuses to judge and shame them) can change anyone from the inside out.
We are quick to label those around us as selfish and in desperate need of God. We are quick to forget that we are just as lost and in need of redemption as those around us. Jesus came to save sinners, not those who believe they are righteous apart from Him (see Mark 2:17). We fall into pride when we forget how unworthy we are of Jesus’ saving grace. We walk around with a holier-than-thou attitude while forgetting to humble ourselves before others.
We need to see ourselves in Zaccheaus. We need God to call us down from our high horse to meet Him face-to-face. Jesus offers eternal life to the broken and those labeled as “too far gone.” We are among the ones who desperately need His mercy. Our brokenness, and the brokenness of others, are no rival for His saving grace.
Jesus wants to gain entry into “private” places in our lives.
Jesus had to come into Zaccheaus’ home. He invited Himself there. Jesus doesn’t want to have authority over bits and pieces of our lives—He wants to enter into every part, even the parts we keep locked away. He wants to bring His love and transformative power into the areas of our lives we keep hidden behind closed doors. I’m sure Zaccheaus wasn’t used to hosting guests. His house was probably filthy and unprepared to host the Son of God. But Jesus didn’t want to enter into a cleaned-up and polished version of Zaccheaus’ home or heart. He wanted to enter into both just as they were. He desired to come into the mess and redeem it. He wasn’t content to leave Zaccheaus’ home, or heart, the way He found it.
Jesus is most pleased when we respond to Who He is, rather than just believing in Who He is.
The best part of Zaccheaus’ story is that he left his encounter with Jesus changed. Zaccheaus wasn’t content to let just Jesus’ love simply make him feel good. Instead, he let the love he’d receive change how he treated those around him. It prompted him to own up to his mistakes and strive to right his wrongs.
We cannot receive Jesus as Savior without responding with action. If Jesus’ presence in our lives doesn’t prompt us to extend forgiveness and kindness to those around us, we have a fundamental misunderstanding of Who He is.
Reflection
Do you believe anyone in your life is “too far gone?” How can you trust that Jesus is strong enough to redeem this person/these people?
What areas of your life are you keeping off-limits to God? How can you invite Him into the mess?
How can you respond to God’s love today in your relationships with others?
Prayer
God, thank you for reminding me that no one is too far gone. Your grace is powerful enough to save every broken soul, including mine. Help me to trust in Your ability to redeem and restore every heart. Thank you for reminding me that You want to enter into every part of my life, even those that are messy, even those I’d prefer to hide. Thank you for not being content to leave me how You found me. Help me to invite You into every broken place. Help me to allow You to change me. Remind me to respond to Your love in all that I do today, especially how I treat Your children. Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today's devotional.