5th. June. 2021. Daily Devotion.
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.’ Luke 19:1-10
We should pay attention to the immediate relationship Jesus begins with Zacchaeus. Also notice the muttering of the people who pass judgment on both Zacchaeus and Jesus. Nothing is said about Zacchaeus and Jesus’ response to the hostility of the crowd. Instead, we see how Zacchaeus and Jesus demonstrate vulnerability and hospitality and how Jesus makes space for repentance and forgiveness.
How does this story speak to you? Do you identify with Zacchaeus, having done wrong and having often been overlooked? Do you identify with the muttering crowd, who are on the lookout for the mistakes of others? Do you identify with Jesus, who looks over the crowd and sees people for who they really are: found, loved, and celebrated?
For every one of us, everywhere, let’s pray that Jesus will look up and call us from our perches and invite us to spend time with him. He will make things right in our lives so that we can extend compassion to anyone we may have misunderstood or taken advantage of along the way.
Lord Jesus, invite us to come and walk with you. Show us how to live as your fully loved and forgiven children. Amen.
Prayer of Resolve
I bind myself to you this day, oh Christ, in your truth and in your sacrifice. I give to you my anxiety and my fear, my depression and my doubt, for you have promised to take them if we only ask; and I take upon myself your burden, for it is light and your way is gentle. May I keep this in my heart and mind all this day Amen.
We lift up our voices
Merciful God, We place into your care all the refugees and migrants around the world, people who search for a better life and try to leave behind poverty, rejection or persecution by undertaking dangerous journeys by land and sea.
God who hurts with humanity, we lift up our voices and pour out our hearts to you,in sadness and grief, for those who don’t have anyone to hear their suffering and pain, for those who don’t have anyone to love and care, for those who don’t have anyone to tell their stories and especially for those who have been suffering due to this pandemic and struggling with coronavirus to see another day in their life.
We pray for their courage of heart and strength of mind and body. Keep them safe from harm. Amen.
