Luke 19:1-10 – He entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And 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 of 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 h 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.”
I found this video clip on someone’s blog the other day and it is just too good not to share. I can’t help but wonder what my attitude would be to any of these women in prison had I met them before they were convicted and before they were converted. How do we treat the “great sinners” of our neighbourhoods? Last Sunday I preached from the account in Luke 19 of the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. Who are the Zacchaeuses of our lives with whom we would not associate? Would we have been among the grumblers when Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house?
Maybe some of these imprisoned women needed to bottom out in a prison before they would even considering listening to the Gospel. Maybe there were lots of people who spent time with them but they just would not pay attention. God knew how to get their hearts. In any case, the video is a stirring testimony of the grace of God, real Christian love, and the power of the Gospel. I hope it says something meaningful to you. It certainly has something meaningful to say.
http://vimeo.com/58431038
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