In Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10), we hear the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector. He’s a short man,and he wants to see Jesus but can’t see over the crowd. So he climbs a tree to get a better look.
Jesus sees him, calls him down, and says “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay in your house.”
Now, as I was pondering this passage, I got to thinking. What would I do if Jesus invited himself to my house? What would He find there? What would I wish to hide from His sight (a lot)? Would my house be clean (no)? Would it really matter to Jesus (no)?
Jesus was being pretty bold by saying he “must” stay in Zacchaeus’ house. Why the “must”? I think the answer lies in a later line, which reads, “today salvation has come to this house… For the Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost.” Even though He knew Zacchaeus’ background, He sought him out to spend some time with him. He does the same to us.
We shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus would come to someone like Zacchaeus. He comes to everybody, ready and willing to “save what was lost.” My friends, in these days it isn’t too difficult to realize just how lost we really are. Spend just two minutes looking watching the news, and you know. Take an honest look at your life and all its complexity, and you know.
During these last couple of days of Lent, spend some time reflecting on this passage from Luke’s Gospel. Jesus wants to come to your house. He’s there to seek you out, to offer salvation over and over again. Open the door and let Him in. It will set the stage for a life-changing Easter.
