COMING TO YOUR HOUSE

I recently experienced a beautiful, sacred event that prompted me to think about the following Scripture passage.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 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.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  –Luke 19:1-10  (NIV)

 

Who and what was Zacchaeus like?

~ He was held in high esteem as the chief tax collector.

~ He was very wealthy—partly because he told people they owed more than          they did.

~ He had heard about Jesus and was curious to see him.

~ He was short in stature, so he climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of        Jesus.

~ He unhesitatingly welcomed Jesus to his house.

~ He changed the error of his ways because of Jesus’ love and being seen by            Him.

~ He had a change of heart willing to share half of his possessions with others.

~ He wanted to make restitution to those he cheated—giving back four times        the amount.

 

How did Jesus treat Zacchaeus?

~ While looking up, He took notice of Zacchaeus in the tree.

~ Jesus knew Zacchaeus had cheated others and still loved him in his                       sinfulness.

~ He wanted to get to know Zacchaeus personally.

~ Jesus sought out Zacchaeus because He wanted him to repent and receive           salvation.

 

Photo courtesy of Baptist Union of Great Britain under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

In this account, the line that always catches my attention is Jesus saying to Zacchaeus, “I MUST stay at your house today.”

 

Take a minute and listen to Jesus say those same words to you personally.

“<Insert your name> I MUST stay at your house today.”

 

Which of these is your initial response when you hear Jesus say those words to you?

~ My house is too messy.

~ I’m not worthy.

~ I have to go hide something.

~ I am too busy.

~ Yes, Jesus, come and visit.

~ This is so exciting.

~ Let me kill the fatted calf.

 

If your initial response was not like Zacchaeus’, may you be encouraged to think about these truths:

~ Jesus loves you unconditionally—no matter how good or bad you think you      are.

~ Jesus sees you all the time—you are near and dear to His heart.

~ Jesus’ arms are always open wide—ready to welcome and embrace you in           love.

~ Jesus is always with you—even though you may feel all alone.

~ Jesus cares about the condition of your heart—not the condition of your             physical house.

~ Jesus knows everything about you—there is nothing about you that He               doesn’t already know.

 

 

 

What a blessing it is to know that Jesus loves and cares for us so much. In fact, consider that He dwells in us all too! So, in a way, He is already at your house. Welcome Him into everything that you do and converse with Him throughout your day. Jesus cares about your worries, anxieties, joys, and sorrows as He continues to reveal Himself to you each day.

 

Be encouraged this week to…

… know Jesus sees you wherever and everywhere you are.

… hear and accept Jesus’ invitation calling your name to stay at your house.

… welcome Jesus whole-heartedly into your house and heart even in all of the messes.

… work on changing the error of your ways to be more Christ-like.

… set aside a little, sacred place in your house to commune more intimately with Jesus.

 

REFLECTION:

Are you ready to welcome Jesus into your house unhesitatingly like Zacchaeus did?
Have you shared deep-seated sorrow, as well as joyful moments, with Jesus?

 

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  –Ephesians 3:16-18  (NLT)