Jesus demands we meet him face to face

Hi there,

This week, we're going to copy out two brief but profound encounters with Jesus. First, Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus, the tax collector, and then the familiar encounter with Mary and Martha.

Working through today's passage, the inclusion of specific details, such as the fact that Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector, he was short, and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Jesus stood out to me.

Again, underscoring (like the encounter with the Samaritan woman), these accounts are first-person eyewitness accounts.

...and just as we saw last week, Jesus knows exactly who Zacchaeus is and initiates the personal encounter.

Zacchaeus is content to merely "see who Jesus was" from a safe vantage point, but Jesus demands that he come down and meet him face to face.

Today's text is Luke 19:1-6.

Today's lines to copy are in black; tomorrow's are in gray.

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.

⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Encouragement

It is not our worthiness that entitles us to a seat with Christ, but His worthiness that calls us by name, even from the lowest places.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon​
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Andy