In the town of Jericho, there was a large clamoring crowd who poured out onto the street after hearing that Jesus was passing by, and among the crowd was hidden a very short man, who was a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus. With a strong desire to see Jesus at least once, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, Zacchaeus got a look at Jesus from the tree and his heart was overflowed with emotion. Then he was surprised because Jesus stopped beneath the sycamore-fig tree and looked up at him. Jesus said to him:
“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
So Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed Jesus gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter.
“He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
Most of the tax collectors who collected taxes for Rome treated the people who were under their care harshly for their own personal gain. For this reason, the Jews hated them very much. So, they could not understand why Jesus was entering the house of Zacchaeus who held a high position among the tax collectors.
After hearing the murmurings of the crowd, Zacchaeus said to Jesus in a loud voice.
“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.”
Seeing the righteous mind of Zacchaeus, Jesus blessed him, saying,
“Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”
If we fail to recognize the divinity of God who came in the flesh and regard Him merely as an ordinary man, we cannot participate in the blessing of receiving Christ. Those who have a correct understanding of Christ, who is the source of all blessings and our salvation, do the works of faith that can move God.
Let us examine ourselves: Do we correctly understand the Spirit and the Bride who give us the water of life in this age? Do we not dishonor Elohim who has come as our Savior, caring about our own honor and paying attention to other people’s views?
Let us sincerely respect Elohim, the source of salvation, and move Them with our faithful deeds that come through our genuine faith. Then we will receive the great blessing of salvation as well as the glorious title “Abraham’s children.”