The Second Sunday in Lent (GA)

Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. ⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. ⁵ And 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 and came down and received him joyfully. ⁷ And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

It is March Madness, and I have basketball on my mind. I hear this story and think of Indiana State Sycamores, the run they had with a young man named Larry Bird. He may not have been the tiny guy that had to climb on the shoulders on giants. But it was a Hoosier story of the time. The small school that faced the giants of the Big Ten and ACC. The run ultimately ended with Magic Johnson standing tall, and the battle continuing in the NBA.

This story is not just about a small person who is trying to catch sight of the Lord. This is about a sinner trying to see his salvation coming to him humble and riding on a donkey. Jesus Christ calls the man out of the tree and comes to his house in order to seek and save the lost. This sinner is in need of the Word of God.

Likewise, we are in need of a Savior. We need someone to help us down out of the tree. We need someone to walk with us under the shadow of death. Now Zecchaeus could be an example for us of giving back our ill gotten gain, or it could be an example of trying to pay back a debt even though it has been forgiven. Do good for your neighbor, but know that Christ has claimed you to be his own and sought to give you life.