Tuesday after the Second Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 18, 2022 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
Yesterday’s reading showed God’s grace toward an adulterous woman. Today’s shows His grace toward a tax collector. Christ’s glory is revealed in His mercy toward those who repent of their sins and are made faithful by the work of His Spirit and Truth.
Once again, our Lord Jesus initiated contact with a sinner by requesting a simple act. The Samaritan woman was clearly able to give Jesus a drink at the well because she had the vessel and was approaching for the purpose of drawing water. Zacchaeus was publicly known as a person of wealth and means, so he would surely be able to host a traveling guest. But Jesus also demonstrates His power by calling on this man as a public acknowledgment of God’s work in him. The people wanted to judge Zacchaeus by his sinful works, but Christ accepted his repentance and declared that this man was faithful!
People would not necessarily be wrong for some wariness about this tax collector, but once he made his public confession and was accepted by Jesus, the people should have listened to the Lord’s righteous judgment. In Zacchaeus the Lord was teaching those who can hear and see that all men are in need of this faith. Sons of Abraham are those who repent and believe in the Christ, not just those who are of the Jews. Our Savior continues to call and convert sinners through the lives and deeds of all His faithful children as He continues to bring people from all nations into His House, the one holy Church!
Prayer: 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.
