Focus
Let yourself become open to God and the knowledge that comes from the Word. Ask God for peace at this time.
Read
31 Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” 34 But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
35 As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 Then he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me see again.” 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.
19 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Reflect
In today’s Scripture Selection, Jesus began by foretelling his death… again. The disciples were clueless as to what Jesus was going on about, even though he was speaking plainly enough to be understood easily. It is important for us to remember that the idea of a suffering servant Messiah, was completely foreign to them. No matter what Jesus told them, they still believed that he would establish an earthly kingdom, that he would overthrow the Roman Empire, and set up the Israelite Empire once more. So, for Jesus to tell them he would be mocked, treated horribly, and then killed was something they could not fathom.
In complete contradiction of the disciples who could not see Jesus for who he was, a man with no vision could see the real Jesus. Bartimaeus yelled out, calling Jesus “Son of David.” This was a recognition of who Jesus truly was: the promised Messiah, the continuation of the line of David promised in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament. Isn’t it interesting that the one who was blind could see better than the rest?
Our final character today is Zacchaeus. He had physical sight but was spiritually blinded by his own wealth. An encounter with Jesus changed his life. He received back his spiritual sight when he confessed his sins to Jesus. He promised to repay everything he had ever defrauded someone of and pay it back with interest. Jesus said, “salvation has come to this house”. (19:9) Whatever that conversation was with Jesus, it was profound and life-changing.
Recall a life changing conversation you had with Jesus. What was that “conversation” like? Are such conversations regular occurrences or rare for you?
Pray
Lord of the lost, We are quick to judge and slow to accept those whom we consider lower than ourselves. But you show us the way of acceptance, forgiveness, and peace. We honor your name for teaching us to love, for the sake of the one who is the essence of love itself,
Jesus Christ our loving Lord. Amen. (Clergystuff.com)
Go with God!
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