How Tall Are You?

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
⁸ 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.”
⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.    Luke 19:1-9

Usually, those who encountered Jesus were the outcasts, the downtrodden, the society rejects.  Today, that isn't the case.  Jesus is going to meet a man named Zacchaeus, a wealthy man who ranked as a chief tax collector.  Their meeting was no ordinary meeting.  Since Zacchaeus was a short man, and because he wanted to see Jesus, but couldn't because of the crowd, he ran ahead and climbed a tree.  He really did want to see Jesus. 

Scripture tells us when Jesus caught up with Zacchaeus he looked up in the tree and told him to come down because Jesus wanted to visit at his house.  So Zacchaeus did just that, he came down from the tree and welcomed Jesus to his home.  (We probably don't have to tell you about tax collectors, but they carried a reputation of demanding more money in taxes than were actually owed.  That's how they made their living.)

It is no wonder the people criticized Jesus for visiting the home of a sinner.  But in this case Zacchaeus poured his heart out to Jesus when he promised to give half of all his possessions to the poor, and if there was anyone that had been cheated, he promised to repay them, times four.

Jesus, in his response to Zacchaeus, made the statement we all wish we could hear, "Today salvation has come to this house."

Some look at this story and surmise Zacchaeus had paid for his salvation.  Closer examination shows us the real heart of a man who had met Jesus. It's really true, a genuine encounter with the Lord will change lives.  Right here we have a short man that suddenly stands tall and knows his changed life demands setting some records straight.  Repayment times four to anyone he has cheated, and giving half of all his possessions to the poor.  Since Zacchaeus suggested those terms, they are probably an accurate assessment of an amount that had been nagging him on the inside. The result was Jesus' pronouncement that salvation had come to Zacchaeus' house. 

Aren't you glad Jesus is willing to be the guest of sinners.....like Zacchaeus, and me, and all of us?

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Read the story to me again...

One of the best things about being a grandparent is the chance to read stories to the grandkids long before they have the ability to read.  I intentionally don't remember the name of the story I last read to one of the granddaughters, but at the time I was also remembering when I used to read that story to my daughter.

I will admit some of the pleasure of reading to a daughter or granddaughter disappears when you get to the end of the story and they say, "Read it again."  That seems to have been something passed along in the genes, because the daughter and granddaughter both wanted multiple reading of the same stories.  Happy times return when an older grandchild learns to read to the younger, and it's now their turn to "read it again."

In one of our articles last week I asked my readers if they were good story tellers.  Then I took a shot at telling a story from my school days, and made some applications of the story to life.  I haven't heard from any of you story tellers, but that article was a "set-up"  to lead to today's article.  We shall introduce the theme by directing you to 2 Corinthians 3. 

Verse 6, "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Paul then reasons with the Corinthians, that the law that came with a temporary glory.  Doesn't it stand to reason the ministry of the Spirit even more glorious?  The purpose of this teaching from Paul is to get us to understand the greater glory of the new covenant.  He says, we aren't like Moses.  Remember Moses put a veil over his face to keep Israel from seeing the end  of what was passing away.  Paul even says, "to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. "  Now look at the scripture starting in verse 16.  "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate (or reflect) the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

What a story!  The freedom we have according to the new covenant allows us with unveiled faces to actually reflect the glory of the Lord.   Not only this, we are being changed more and more into his image and that comes with what Paul calls an ever-increasing glory.  Then the promise,  it comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

 

Now I am like my granddaughter, "Read it to me again!"  "Tell me the story, over and over."   More than anything I want you to see what Paul was wanting the Corinthians to see.  You are the story.  The story of the work of God in giving his Son for the world.  And, the story continues from the Lord, the Spirit, in bringing us freedom." 

Transform me Lord, so I can reflect your glory, change me more and more into your image. Amen. 

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Do you love me?

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”\He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep."      John 21:15-17

Initial reading of that text makes us think Jesus wants to know if Peter loves him, and how much Peter loves him.  More than that, Jesus wants Peter to know he loves Jesus and how much he loves Jesus. 

We consider the point in the earthly ministry of Jesus, when this event was taking place, and perhaps we can better understand the reason for Jesus questioning Peter.  Time was growing short for Jesus and with the lurking shadow of the cross in his immediate future, Peter himself needed to do some serious thinking about the rest of his own personal journey with the Lord.  

Love is an important quality in the relationship Jesus shared with his followers. That kind of love is key in building our lives into a relationship with God the Father, as well as building relationships with other people .

Genesis 29 tells the story of how Jacob loved Rachel, and was willing to serve seven years in return for her hand in marriage. The Bible says, "they seemed to him like only a few days, because of the love he had for her."

Ruth 4 tells of the love Ruth had for her mother-in-law, Naomi.

1 Samuel tells how much Jonathan loved David, even giving him his own robe and sword and bow.

In Peter's case, his love for Jesus was affirmed time and again, even noting that Peter was offended that Jesus questioned that love for the third time.  Love like Peter had for the Lord can be seen in the work of Peter as a gospel preacher and an Apostle, but also in the way he lived and the way he died for the Lord. 

Do you love Jesus?  Would you be willing to be devoted to the Savior, like Peter?  Love is easy to say, but sometimes hard to do.  Please do not forget that our love for Jesus is tested by our obedience to his teaching, and by our complete surrender to his will. 

Near the end of the New Testament, John wrote, "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."   1 John 3:18

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It's a matter of faith

Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. ² He asked me, “What do you see?”  I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. ³ Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” ⁴ I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”  ⁵ He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”  “No, my lord,” I replied.  ⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty."    Zachariah 4:1-6

It was a time of crisis for God's people.  The temple was being rebuilt and the people of God were in the process of rebuilding their lives.  God's prophet in this time was Zachariah through whom God spoke with his directions and instructions. 

Needless to say, in the busy times in which they were living, they were vulnerable and often seemed misguided.  That is always a danger when a nation is rebuilding.  In the language which we might find difficulty in understanding, an angel is discussing things with the prophet, Zachariah, and explaining to him the visions he has seen in his sleep.  The message God wanted them to know was revealed by the angel through Zachariah.  “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty."  God further let Zachariah know that Zerubbabel, who had laid the foundation for the temple, would also finish in building the temple.

All of that important rebuilding stuff is going on and it was important to God, but of greater importance was the rebuilding or restoration of his people.  Like Israel, we find ourselves in times of crisis, too.  Even when our nation was in its infancy and parameters were being established for the new citizens, there were some words spoken by Benjamin Franklin which demand mention here.  It was at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 when Mr. Franklin said:

"I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men.  And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?"   After posing that question, Franklin suggested their every meeting should begin with heartfelt prayer for divine guidance. 

Now I bring you back to the words spoken through Zachariah concerning God's rebuilding of the nation of his children.  ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Israel, in crisis, needed to learn, and we, in crisis, need to learn that truth.  It's not accomplished by man's power or his strength.  The real success of a nation is based on its willingness to be strengthened by the power of God's Spirit. 

While I pray for our country's leaders and for spiritual consideration to be given in their decisions, I must also recognize no matter how strong, how influential, how wealthy, and even how experienced our leaders are, they will lead us into failure if their leadership is void of God's Spirit.  That is a biblical principle based on his word, which makes it a matter of faith for us. 

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God's way....not mine!

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹ Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

²⁰ Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,  and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

²¹ The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction.

²² Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent, but folly brings punishment to fools.

²³ The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction.

²⁴ Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

²⁵ There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.  Proverbs 16:18-25

Reading and pondering on these words makes me want to sing the old hymn, "Have thine  own way, Lord, Have thine own way. Thou art the potter, I am the clay.  Mold me and make me, after thy will.  While I am waiting, yielded and still."

Reading from the Proverbs and singing a hymn about letting God mold us into something He made according to his specifications, is probably one of the best things we could do. However, the world in which we live is attempting to separate itself from letting God design our lives. Instead, the world would have us follow our own ideas, our own abilities, and our own strengths. While we might love the spiritual sounding words of "Have thine own way, Lord," we have become a society that would rather follow the words of the song, "I did it my way."

I won't take up the space to give the words of that song, just remember how there were several times the theme is given.  It emphatically suggests we answer to no one, we are our own boss, we are satisfied with ourselves, blemishes and all.  When all is said and done, our lives were lived exactly the way we wanted to live, nobody told us what to do........."I did it my way."

If I read God's word correctly, doing it our way is exactly the opposite of the way our God-ordained lives are supposed to be.  Just those verses printed above let us know we cannot depend on ourselves and our ways. I do not wish to go the way of my choosing, even though it seemed the right way to me. The Bible says "in the end it leads to death." 

Instead, I want to heed God's words of instruction, and be blessed through my trust in the Lord. Read the verses from Proverbs again.  It's your choice, your way or God's way.

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You must be born again....

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” ⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”  ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  John 3:1-8

The story of Nicodemus has been used for lots of years to teach us about humanity's second birth.  It's a story that is familiar to us, important to us, and introducing the process of being "born again." In the middle of all this, our observation causes us to take special note of all that is happening here.

In most encounters Jesus had with Pharisees, they were trying to catch he and his followers breaking some law or tradition. But Jesus always had a response to their accusations and questions which sent them away pondering the situation from the standpoint of maintaining mercy over sacrifice, love over law. 

The fact that Nicodemus came seeking Jesus during the darkness of night should be noted. Nicodemus probably would not be meeting with the favor of his fellow Pharisees if they had known he was on such friendly terms with Jesus. Then, what he says to Jesus is also going to be problematic in the understanding and actions of most Pharisees.  Nicodemus confessed that he knew Jesus was a teacher from God, because no one could do the things Jesus was doing if God were not with him.

That's when Jesus broke the news, "No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."  Born when they are old?  We can understand him not being able to understand that. A grown man cannot  enter the womb of his mother a second time to be born again. 

Jesus explains, "No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Sprit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit give birth to spirit."  He uses the illustration of the wind blowing, and we know it does, but we cannot explain it.  Even though we can hear the sound of it, we cannot tell where it comes from or goes. Notice the final sentence, "So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Our first birth brings us into our earthly family. Our second birth brings us into God's family.  We do not make the choice to be born into our physical lives. The second birth is by our choice. When we are born the first time, we are a citizen of earth. Our second birth gives us citizenship in heaven. 

Those who are born of the Spirit still live in this world, but their hearts and minds are focused on a new plane, a new way of life, a life on the journey to eternity.  It involves complete surrender of our will to the will of God, allowing God to change us to become more and more like Jesus. New birth means new life.  "No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."

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Guess who's coming to dinner.....

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.   A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.   As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.  Luke 7:36-38

A word of caution.  Be careful when accepting dinner invitations.  You never know who else might be there.  Such was the case when Jesus went to eat in the home of a Pharisee.  A woman with a poor reputation showed up and begin to  wet Jesus' feet with her tears and dry them with her hair.  Kissing his feet, she poured a perfume on them.

In reality, the invitation for Jesus to visit in that home was not for social reasons.  The Pharisee only invited him there to check him out.  They wanted to trap him into disagreeing with their version of law and tradition. 

The Pharisee who had invited Jesus there reasoned, "If he is really a prophet, then he will know about this woman.  He will know she is a sinner."

But Jesus spoke and told a story. "Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,  and the other fifty.   Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”  Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

Then starting in Luke 7:42, "Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

It caused quite a stir when Jesus forgave that woman.  The people in that house began to wonder who Jesus thinks he is, that he even forgives sins.   I tell you, the most wonderful words you will ever hear are the words that sinful woman heard that day,  "Her many sins have been forgiven."  Then there was something we sometimes miss in this story.  Jesus, without saying it, invites the Pharisee dinner host to look at the evidence of her forgiveness.  Her great love shows it!

The typical Pharisee, always observing himself as the picture of perfection, is stuck with the last words of the story, "But whoever has been forgiven little loves little."

For the sinner who recognizes his sinful condition and seeks a relationship with Jesus, is well on the way to hearing words of forgiveness.  He is the one who demonstrates his forgiven life, by his love.  That's the love we need as individuals, and as a church. 

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