Monday, January 16



Principle:
Zacchaeus was interested in and curious about Jesus.







Reflection
In the story it says that Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.  I just imagine that Zacchaeus had heard about this traveling teacher and all the marvelous things he had done.  Zacchaeus was intrigued by Jesus.  However, I believe that Zacchaeus didn’t want much to do with the religious form of Judaism that was popular in the Pharisees.  Why wasn’t Zacchaeus attracted to the religiosity of the Pharisees?  The reason why is because the Pharisees rejected him.  They considered him to be a “sinner” not in a sympathetic manner but in a judgmental and dismissive manner.

Whether it is legitimate or not many people feel that way about the church.  They have had experiences with the church or heard about experiences others have had and whether it is justified or not they have turned a deaf ear to the message of the institutional church.  However, most people in today’s culture are, just like Zacchaeus, interested in Jesus. 

I hope this does not offend anyone but if this is true (people being interested in Jesus) then why don’t we stop trying to sell them the church and offer them Jesus?  Why don’t we help people discover Jesus and when they do they will discover the true church.

How have you offered people Jesus?