It's here: Part 9 of the 9 part series - how to get prayers answered
The Rhythm of The Gospels - D30
DAILY DEVOTIONAL
7/30/20262 min read
He Looked Up and Called Him by Name.
Jesus stops for the one everyone decided wasn't worth it — Luke 19:5
"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.'" — Luke 19:5 (NKJV)
Jericho knew exactly who Zacchaeus was. In a town that size, you know the residents. He was the chief tax collector which meant he worked for Rome. To profit, he charged more than the law required, and pocketed the difference. He had built a comfortable life on the gap between what his neighbors actually owed and what he made them pay. He was wealthy. He was hated. He probably walked through the market every morning with both of those things following him like a shadow.
He had heard that Jesus was coming through Jericho. And something in him, some quiet, persistent thing that his reputation hadn't managed to kill wanted to see this man. But he was short, and the crowd was thick, and the crowd was not inclined to make way for the man it despised. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree. Imagine, a powerful, deeply hated man, climbing a tree like a child, because a glimpse of Jesus from a distance was better than nothing.
Jesus came to that tree. Stopped. And looked up. And said: Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today. Zacchaeus was surprised. How did Jesus know his name. There had been no previous introduction. Zacchaeus had done a single thing to deserve acknowledgment. And He said I must stay at your house today. As if Zacchaeus's house was where He had always been headed. I believe it was.
It was no surprise that the crowd muttered. He has gone to be the guest of a sinner. Jesus walked straight past their verdict and through the door of the man they had written off. And by the time dinner was over, Zacchaeus was standing and pledging to give half his possessions to the poor and repay fourfold anyone he had defrauded. There was no sermon preached, and no altar call. Just the presence of Jesus inside his house, calling him by a name that told him who he still could be.
Who is the Zacchaeus in your world? The person everyone has already decided isn't worth the effort, the one watching from a tree because they've stopped believing anyone would stop for them? Today, stop. Look up. Jesus is calling you by name. Invite Him into the home of your heart. He will abide if you let him.
Scripture Promise:
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." — Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
Prayer:
Father, thank you for calling us all by name, into who you have called us to be. Help us to not only be curious about seeing you lord, but to also invite you into our home. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
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