Growing up, there was a story in the Bible that all the kids loved to hear; the story of Zacchaeus. We would hear about him, sing about him and even do motions to act out his story. Everyone enjoyed talking about the little man who had to climb a tree to see Jesus.
As we know, Zacchaeus was not a favorite among his peers because he was a dreaded tax collector, an employee of the Roman government. Under the Roman system, men bid on the position of tax collector, pledging to raise a certain amount of money. Anything they raised over that amount was their personal profit. Luke says Zacchaeus was a wealthy man, so he must have extorted a great deal from the people and encouraged others to do so as well.
It is surprising then that Zacchaeus was so intent on seeing Jesus. Why would he need Jesus? He probably had everything the world could give; yet something drew him to the Savior. What is amazing is the fact that all it took was Jesus speaking to him to make him realize the error of his ways. We read in Luke 19:8, “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.”
In those days, if someone was monetarily wronged, the law required that they be paid back the amount due plus 20% (Numbers 5:7, Leviticus 6:5). Zacchaeus was going far beyond what the Lord demanded; he wanted to make sure that Jesus knew he was serious about making a life change. The commentary in my Bible states that “Zacchaeus demonstrated inward change by outward action.”
How pertinent that is for us today. Following Jesus in our head or heart alone is not enough. Our faith must be shown by changed behavior. If we are a true follower of Christ, it must be obvious to others that we are different; that we want to go far beyond what is expected of us to do His will. It means not finding our self-worth in what the world has given us, but only in what Christ has given us. It means there may be times when we must take a stand for what the Bible says is true; even when that won’t make us popular. It means we may have times when reaching out to someone who others despise, may not be the easy choice but the right choice.
So, I have two questions for you today. The first one is, “Are you listening?” If Zacchaeus wouldn’t have been listening to Christ, he more than likely wouldn’t have realized his need to change. There is so much noise in our world today that can drown out our Savior’s voice if we aren’t intentional in allowing Him to speak to us. We must listen to know His plans for us.
Secondly, “Is your faith resulting in action?” It’s not enough to just say you are a Christian because, more often than not, your actions will speak much louder than your words to others. Those with whom you come in contact need to see that you are different because of what Christ has done in your life.
I urge you this week to make it a priority to listen to Christ and then look within yourself, as I am doing, to see if there are changes that need to be made so that others will see Him in you!
“Just as the body is dead without breath,
so also faith is dead without good works.”
James 2:26
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