who was going to pass that way.
When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, come down quickly,
for I must stay at your house today.”
So Zaccheus climbed down and received him joyfully. All the people who saw it began to grumble,
and said, “He has gone as a guest to the house of a sinner.” But Zaccheus spoke to Jesus,
“Half of what I own, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone,
I will pay him back four times as much.”
Looking at him Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house today, for he is also a true son of Abraham.
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
REFLECTION:
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must (dei) stay at your house” (v. 5b).
In Luke 10, Jesus sent the disciples on an evangelistic mission. Now he conducts a personal mission.
Jesus conveys a divine purpose when he says that he “must” (dei—”it is necessary”) stay at Zacchaeus’ house.
He must do so “today,” conveying a sense of urgency. Jesus did not come to Jericho by happenstance.
He came to save Zacchaeus.
Those who emphasize that a sinner must observe certain “steps” to win salvation should
note that Zacchaeus “does not beg Jesus for mercy… or express any sorrow.
Jesus makes no reference to Zacchaeus’ faith…, repentance or conversion…, or discipleship”.
Jesus initiates the action without any prompting from Zacchaeus. However, we should also note
that Zacchaeus obeys Jesus’ command to “hurry and come down” from the tree. The result would
be quite different if Zacchaeus failed to respond to Jesus’ invitation.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020