April 10, 2024

Yesterday I wrote about the repentance of Zacchaeus. He went from greedy to generous and from being a “taker” to being a “giver.” But I want to be sure that you understand that when Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this home today,” Jesus wasn’t declaring Zacchaeus as “saved” or a righteous man because he was now doing good deeds. ANYONE can do good deeds. No, Jesus was declaring that salvation had come because of what had happened WITHIN Zacchaeus. Unlike others who only followed Jesus because of the cool stuff that He could do, Zacchaeus followed Jesus because of who he believed Him to be. The Messiah. The Son of God. The Lamb who had come to take away the sins of the world.
Look at the phrase Jesus used to describe Zacchaeus: “a true son of Abraham.” Most Jews would consider themselves a true son or a true daughter because of their bloodline. But I think Jesus was referring to what made Abraham a true child of God. “And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Abraham wasn’t declared righteous because he was a good man. He was declared a “good man” because he put his faith in God. The same was true for Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus came to faith in Christ. And that faith in Christ changed the way he lived. Faith is the bloodline of the children of God.
Camp on that thought today. Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe in who He is? Do you believe in what He came to do? Do you believe that you're good because you try every day to do your best? Or do you believe that you’re good because of who is living in you and through you? Change is an inside-out job. When we believe in who Jesus is and put our faith in His ability to live out His life through us, a good life will follow. Abraham believed God. So did Zacchaeus. I hope you do too. That’s God’s Word for you today.