The Tuesday after the Second Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 21, 2025 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 19:1-10 (NKJV)
19:1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Devotion
We remember that St. Matthew, before Jesus called Him to be a disciple, was also a tax collector. Maybe Zacchaeus heard about Jesus from Matthew or a mutual acquaintance. However he heard about Jesus, Zacchaeus wanted to know more and to see Jesus for himself.
Jesus gave Zacchaeus that opportunity by inviting Himself over to Zacchaeus’ house. It is natural to conclude that once they were at the house, Jesus taught Zacchaeus more fully about Himself and His work of salvation. Similarly, through the preaching of the Word, Christ has sought us out and expressed His desire to dwell in our hearts by faith. There He continues to deepen our knowledge of Him and what He has done for us. Our desire to see Him, and the faith that embraces Him, are the very work of His Word and Holy Spirit.
This faith leads to action; specifically, repentance and good works. Beforehand, Zacchaeus had been a thief and an oppressor of the poor. Afterward, he demonstrated his salvation by making restoration four times over and giving liberally to the poor. We also should strive to make our salvation obvious by our actions, thereby revealing the power of the One who saved us and giving glory to Him.
Collect: Almighty and Everlasting God, Who dost govern all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of Thy people, and grant us Thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
