The Lesson
(15-20 mins depending on conversation)
Can you think of anyone in the Bible that changed drastically? What about in your own life? God’s love has the power to change anyone, sometimes without them even being aware that it’s happening!
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Think about tax collectors, they’re pretty universally hated, right? Tax collectors in biblical times were viewed as bad people not only because they associated with Romans, but also because some would overtax people or attempt to blackmail people in hopes of earning hush money. We can assume that in those times, most people probably didn’t know the percentage that they should be taxed, they couldn’t just google it and it wasn’t automatically deducted like it is today. We can also assume that a lot of them wouldn’t have been able to figure out the amount they owed based on the percentage even if they did know what it was. So it’s easy to see how tax collectors could take advantage of people in these times and why they would have been despised. However, the love of God can change anyone.
Luke 19: 1-10: “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.”
Now, I honestly think that if Zacchaeus was more liked he may not have had to climb a tree. Maybe some buddies could’ve helped him make his way closer to the front or even potentially lifted him up if he was so small. You have to think about the fact that he must have really wanted to see Jesus to climb a tree, even today that’s not something a wealthy person would usually do, but Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and he had to find away.
(Scripture Cont) “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.”
This just confirms that Zacchaeus was viewed as a bad person. Even so, Jesus saw him and called him down to spend time with him. It’s possible that someone told Jesus Zaccheus’s name, we don’t know, but it’s also possible that he knew his name because as God’s son he knew who Zacchaeus was and he knew that Zacchaeus needed to be seen and recognized. Imagine how Zacchaeus must have felt after climbing a tree just to see Jesus and having Jesus recognize and call out to him because he wanted to spend time together.
(Scripture Cont) “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.”
We each have the power to help people make these kinds of changes with God‘s love. This week I want each of you to think of who your own Zaccheus could be. Maybe it’s a bully or someone who just isn’t nice. I want you each to be intentional with trying to help God to change that person. I don’t mean that you need to confront them, but I want you to be kind to them and make them feel seen and loved like Zaccheus. I also want you to pray intentionally for that person. You may not know what they’re going through, but God does, and He can make a change in their heart and life.
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