Focal Passage: Luke 19:1-10
Amongst the many jobs I have held, the one that I had some of the most fun was teaching ninth grade history at a Christian high school.
Shaping young minds and ensuring they receive a biblical worldview as the interact with the annals of history was quite rewarding.
As we looked at the development of the Indian subcontinent and dealt with the religion for still holds sway over much of the population, Hinduism, I would take special attention to deal with one of the more popular tenets of that faith: karma.
Karma is the belief that you get back what you put out, or you get what you deserve. You can have “good karma” or “bad karma,” according to those who believe.
I would take time to talk about this belief because unfortunately many Christians either knowingly or unknowingly ascribe to some kind of belief in it. And grace is the furthest thing from it.
In Luke 19 Jesus meets Zacchaeus. What kind of man was Zacchaeus? While we fight the urge to say he was a “wee little man,” the text describes him as a chief tax collector and very rich.
It goes on to document Zacchaeus’s own kind of confession that he had extorted various people. We can safely surmise that this man was a crook of sorts, “a sinful man” according to the crowd that watched. And yet Jesus went to stay with him.
Upon having Jesus in his house, something happens to Zacchaeus.
He says that he will give away half his possessions and that he will right the wrongs that he has done, even going above and beyond the necessary requirement for restitution. In response to this, Jesus says something incredible, “today salvation has come to this house.”
What is worth pointing out is that Zacchaeus did not get what he deserved.
If we are keeping score, Zacchaeus should have very bad karma.
Assuming that much of his wealth was ill-gotten, it would be safe to think something awful was in store for this man, some kind of freak accident brought about by a karma-governed universe.
To be sure, Zacchaeus did deserve judgment but instead is encountering mercy. And yet Jesus saw him and called out to him.
Take note that Jesus intended to come to this man before he started confessing and righting wrongs. Jesus’s grace precedes the correction. Which is always how grace is extended.
Does Jesus wait for you to clean yourself up before coming into your life?
Of course not. Does salvation come in response to you righting every wrong you have done? I sure hope not (it doesn’t)! Praise God that we don’t operate with the scale of karma.
The crowd saw a crook. Jesus saw a sinner who could be saved. The crowd wanted distance. Jesus moved toward him in grace.
Perhaps there is someone in your life whom you’ve quietly written off. Someone you think is too far gone, too difficult, or too undeserving. Zacchaeus reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. B&R