Zacchaeus

I know it has been over a week since I have posted. Trials of being a mom has kept me busy and from tending to my blogs. I have recently started going to bible study at Hiss Methodist Church. Which is a really nice welcoming community. They have given me a idea (literally). I'm going to start posting sections about different topics, every week will be a topic. This week will be the people who have been directly influenced by Jesus. These people will be sinners who have meet Christ in person and repented for there sins. Today is Zacchaeus, we covered him last week in bible study.


The passage of the story is in Luke 19:1-10. Its a very small story but still has meaning behind it. If you don't know the story here is a quick version. Jesus was ministering around or pasing through Jericho. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and a very rich man.
He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by. When Jesus saw him in the tree as he was passing by he called to him to come down. He told Zacchaeus that he was going to be his guest in his home that day. People were upset that Jesus was going to be a guest of a notorious sinner. Zacchaeus told Jesus "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
!".  Jesus said  "Salvation has come to this house today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost".

A gentleman has made a point in class that makes sense. If this taken from a different view, the tree could signify how high Zacchaeus was in everybody else's life being a tax collector. Jesus could have asked him to come down to everyone's level. Meaning, not to act of higher power, because he was rich.


Back then to finance there country, the Romans levied heavy taxes on all nations under there control. The Jewish people hated the because the tax collectors were born Jewish, they were considered traitors, they made themselves rich by gouging their fellow people. People didn't like Jesus going home with Zacchaeus because of his sinfulness towards his own people. But despite Zacchaeus down falls Jesus loved him. Because of that he converted to Christianity.

In every society, certain groups of people are considered "untouchable" because of there political views, their immoral behavior, or their lifestyle. We should not give in to social pressure to avoid these people. Jesus loves them, and they need to hear his Good News.