Meanwhile

Every Wednesday, we review the previous weekend’s message. This past weekend, Jonathan talked about the life of Zacchaeus and our need to have an “outsider” in our entourage. Take a minute to reread his story...

Luke 19
1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town.
2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich.
3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.
7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”


Meanwhile. I love how Luke slides that word into the story. Jesus could have let Himself get distracted by the grumbling. Instead, He focused on an individual the “people” tried to avoid ... an outsider. Today, there are still people that grumble about Jesus. We can allow ourselves to be distracted by those “people” or we focus on individuals that feel ignored or avoided in our time. There will always be debates and arguments about Jesus; meanwhile, God is still seeking out people that feel like outsiders and inviting them to come home ... and we can help.