Zacchaeus was a wee little man...

I was reading a book today and the writer referenced the story of Zacchaeus. He said that it was the “affection of Christ, not the brutality of a town that healed Zacchaeus”. I had never really thought about it, I guess, although with the good “preachers” I’ve been around in my day, one of them probably preached this and I just don’t remember.

Anyway, I realized that Zacchaeus lived in Jericho. Now Christians had been living in Jericho since, I don’t know….Joshua’s time. And there must have been one or two there, since the CROWD wanting to see Jesus was Zacchaeus’ problem to begin with…well, actually, his problem was being short, but I don’t want to offend the Lolly Pop Guild, so we won’t go there.

Anyway, anyway…so Zacchaeus lived in a town full of Christians. Yet, he had never heard the gospel nor felt the love of Christ in a way that compelled him to want to change his lifestyle. But when Jesus came to town and reached out to the outcast, he felt the love and invited Jesus to his home for dinner. Now, it takes some guts to invite someone to your house for dinner – or does it? Doesn’t it just take knowing someone who eats food and doesn’t have plans. That’s kinda what I’m getting at. Let’s get out there and show our new neighborhoods the love of Christ….the real love of Christ….not what they’ve been used to seeing passed of as “love”. Let’s use the “affection of Christ” to combat the “brutality of a town” to heal the Zacchaeus that might live two doors down.