Zacchaeus | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Zacchaeus | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Meiners
07/29/24
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“Zacchaeus, where are you going?” Inquired his wife Adina.

“I need a break. Too many tax numbers to think about. I’m goin’ for a walk.”

“Be back by dinner-time,” ordered Adina.

“Ya, okay,” then Zacchaeus went out the door and closed it behind him.

“What a beautiful day for a walk,” smiled Zacchaeus. But his mind couldn’t comprehend the beauty around him. His thoughts kept going to his tax numbers and the people he still had to collect from. His heart was growing heavy as he thought about the task before him. But, it was his way of life - taking money from people. Right?

The further he walked, the greater the crowd grew. “Where are all these people going?” Zacchaeus mused to himself.

“Hey, Mister. What’s going on?” Zacchaeus asked a stranger.

“Haven’t you heard? Jesus is in town. Everyone wants to get a chance to meet him and maybe even be healed from their diseases.”

With raised eyebrow Zacchaeus replied, “Jesus is in our town? Boy, would I like to get a chance to see him.”

“You better get a step-ladder,” the stranger laughed. “You’ll never see above this crowd. Besides, aren’t you that tax collector? Jesus won’t meet the likes of you.”

Go on, rub it in Zacchaeus thought. You don’t know how determined I can be when I want to be. With that, Zacchaeus jogged ahead dodging in and out of the crowd, getting closer to where Jesus was teaching. Suddenly he spotted a sycamore tree. Running to it, he climbed to the highest point where he had a perfect view of Jesus. He smiled to himself. Where there’s a will there’s a way.

Zacchaeus sat comfortably on the large branch and watched while Jesus taught the people. Jesus walked toward Zacchaeus. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest the closer Jesus came. “I’m actually listening to Jesus,” he thought.

Wow! This is awesome.

Suddenly, Jesus stopped at the base of the tree.

His tree.

The one he was sitting in.

Jesus looked up, smiled and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”

“You talking to me? You want to come to my house? Do you know who I am? Yet you still want to come?” Questioned Zacchaeus

Laughing, Jesus replied, “Yes, Zacchaeus. I want to come to your house. Now climb out of that tree and let’s go.”

Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree and joyfully stood before Jesus, his smile a mile wide.

The crowd around them grumbled that Jesus was going to the house of that horrible tax collector. “Why on earth would Jesus want to go to his house,” they all mumbled.

“Come on Jesus. I’ll lead the way. Let’s go.”

After a fifteen minute walk they arrived at the home of Zacchaeus.

“Adina, I’m home. I brought a guest for dinner.”

“Good grief Zacchaeus. You know I like to be warned when you bring guests home for dinner. Who did you br……” Adina stopped mid sentence as she looked into the face of Jesus.

“You brought Jesus to dinner,” she whispered.

“Yes, my love. Jesus asked if he could come to my house today and I said yes. Isn’t this wonderful news. He knows I’m nothing more than a miserable, abusing tax collector who cheats people out of their hard-earned money, and yet he chose to come to my house. Jesus is the most merciful man I know. Do you know what I’m going to do?”

“What?” Asked Adina, with her eyebrows furrowed.

“Adina, bring the food and while we eat I will tell you what I will do.”

As the threesome ate their meal Zacchaeus began to speak.

“Jesus, I’m a miserable person. I cheat people. They hate me. I know I have taken more than my share of taxes from them. I don’t deserve your mercy, and yet you gave it to me. By coming to my home, you have forgiven me. To express my gratitude I am going to give half of my goods to the poor. If I have defrauded anyone of anything I will restore it fourfold.”

Adina gasped, but soon recovered as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Zacchaeus, today salvation has come to this house. The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost, and you, Zacchaeus was lost but now you have been found. Found to be a better man than you were before.

A man now filled with mercy.

Scripture story from Luke 19:1-10, ESV

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