Lesson 4425

 Lesson 4425)(03-15-24) Luke 19:1-10 

“And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” 

 

Today’s quote tells the story of Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector in Jericho who sought to see Jesus but was too short to see over the crowd. To overcome this, he climbed a sycamore tree. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and invited Himself to Zacchaeus' house, and act that angered the Jewish hierarchy, who murmured about Jesus being the guest of a sinner. Zacchaeus told Jesus that he had given half of his goods to the poor and had given back four times the amount to anyone he had defrauded. Jesus praised Zacchaeus and said that salvation had come to his house because he too was a son of Abraham. Jesus concluded by outlining His mission: to seek and to save that which was lost. Today’s quote emphasizes the importance of repentance toward those of lesser means.~