Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Israel
and became rich by swindling people out of their money. He was Ebenezer Scrooge
and Bernie Madoff wrapped up into one person. One day he heard Jesus was coming
to Jericho, so he climbed a tree to see over the crowd. Jesus looked up, called
him by name and said He wanted to stay at his house.
Zacchaeus replied, “Lord, half
of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded
anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much" (Luke 19:8). Let’s play the role of a psychiatrist and analyze what changed him:
1.
Change begins when the heart changes. A person’s heart must
change before behavior will change. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins and
our need to change. The rebellious prodigal son’s heart was changed when
he “came to his senses” (Luke 15:17). He decided to leave his partying life and
returned home to serve his father. When your heart changes, you’ll have the
desire to live differently.
2.
Change happens in a point in time. After Zacchaeus said he
would repay those he had cheated, Jesus said, “Today salvation has come
to this house” (19:9). The day before Zacchaeus met Jesus, he was an evil
crooked man. But when he realized Jesus was the Son of God, he decided to walk
in a new direction. He
came down from the tree and declared out loud what he would do
differently, “I will give…I will pay back.”
3. Change results in different
behavior. If a person claims to know Jesus but there isn’t a change in behavior,
then you must question whether it’s a genuine conversion. Zaccheus went with
his money bag to those he had cheated and repaid them four times as much. Jesus didn’t tell him to do that.
Zaccheus knew in his heart that’s what he needed to do.
Has your heart changed? What are you doing
differently since you met Jesus? Let Zacchaeus be your role model. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net
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BIBLE STUDY: “What does it mean to repent?”
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