Today, Salvation!!!

If you're a Christian, you're probably familiar with the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector. It comes from Luke 19:1-10. Yesterday I was doing some personal studying and listened to a sermon that reminded me of the power of what took place in this interaction.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector...he was part of the elite few that had money in Jericho at the time. In his day, there was a huge gap between the haves and the have not's. It's said that somewhere between 80-90% of the people worked in agriculture and had very little money. The elite ruling class often took advantage of the have not's.

When Jesus invited himself over to the hated tax collector's house, can you imagine the reaction of the poor folks? "Jesus, what are you doing? You're one of us? Why are you going to spend time with that horrible, little man?" The really amazing thing is what happens in the life of Zacchaeus, which in result has an effect on all the people.

Zacchaeus, after being befriended by Jesus, realizes the way he has led his life. In an instance, he turns to Jesus and says he will give half of all that he has to the poor. Last time I checked, that's more than a tithe. Then, he lets Jesus know that if he's taken advantage of anyone, we will pay them back four times (which refers back to the Torah).

Zacchaeus doesn't mention anything about his beliefs. He doesn't say, "Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you are the Son of God." Instead, his life is turned upside down by this encounter and his actions change.

On hearing what Zacchaeus is going to do, Jesus proclaims that "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 what was lost" (verses 9-10).

Zacchaeus meets Jesus and is instantly changed. We too, on meeting Jesus, can experience this kind of life change. Zacchaeus was taking advantage of others and storing up for himself. He obviously had plenty, but kept taking more.

We need to experience this kind of change and find out what we can give away. We need to look at how we can serve others, rather than how we can be served. What in your life needs to be turned upside down today?