Year 4, Day 228: Luke 19

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Challenge, Invitation

• Challenge: God does not merely wish us to be in relationship with Him as we are.  He challenges us to grow, stretch, and transform as we take on the mantle of being His representatives to this world.
• Invitation: God is always inviting us into relationship with Him. He desires that we know Him and that we know His desire for us.

The story of Zacchaeus is a great story through which we can see invitation and challenge.  These two dynamics must always be calibrated with the people we meet.  They need not always be in balance, but they do need to be appropriately calibrated for the people that God brings into our life.

At first Zacchaeus feels the invitation.  Jesus Christ is coming to town.  He runs like a little kid to see this powerful and well-known person.  Now pay attention here.  Zacchaeus, a very wealthy man, runs to Jesus.  The wealthy people don’t usually run to see celebrities; they know that the celebrity will run to come to them. 

Jesus passes by and senses the opportunity.  He looks up to Zacchaeus and seizes the opportunity.  He invites Zacchaeus into relationship.

Then comes the challenge.  You see, Jesus doesn’t invite just to make us feel good.  Jesus invites in order that we should know change.  Jesus invites so that we may become more like Him.  Jesus challenges Zacchaeus with his life so that he can experience change.  And we know that Zacchaeus does experience change.  He commits to making it right with all the people from whom he stole.

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