Warriors Arise: January 16, 2022
Matthew 19:16-26 (NKJV) Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
After reading this exchange between Jesus and the rich man followed the disciples question we should see the miracle, the impossible made possible by Zacchaeus' encounter with Jesus.
Luke 19:1-10 (NKJV) Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
If you are a Christian then you may skim over this. The fact that a rich man climbs a tree to see Jesus is pretty significant. Everyone knew Zacchaeus to be rich. Many times, with being rich, is the desire to be important or at least people to think that one is important. They did have to do something to get rich. Therefore, people tend to give them some level of importance. I wonder if Zacchaeus still felt small, like his stature, even though he was rich. I wonder if he climbed that tree to see why people were thronging toward Jesus. I wonder if being rich, he still felt insignificant. Maybe he had worked diligently, being crafty and making a name for himself to become rich. He might have thought people would then admire him, respect him, and make way for him.
However, just to see Jesus, brought him back to reality. He still wasn't important enough for people to let him through. It didn't matter how rich he was; they weren't going to give up their place in line, among the throng so he could get in front of them. He showed his craftiness. Since he could "throw his weight around" so that he would have been allowed through to see Jesus; he ran ahead and climbed a tree. He positioned himself to see Jesus.
Matthew 10:16 (NKJV) “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
It used to bother me to read this verse in Matthew chapter 10. Jesus told his disciples to be wise as serpents. I have an internal hate for serpents. Maybe it was because of how easily Satan deceived Eve in the garden. But I never wanted to be identified with a serpent and if I saw one, I would want a hoe to lop its head off. However, I am thinking when God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit saw how easily Satan deceived Eve, they knew exactly how he turned 1/3 of the angels. People who deceive others are not stupid. They wouldn't get by with it, if they were stupid. Their mind easily figures out how they can deceive the person they are talking to, so that they can get out of whatever trouble has come their way.
When Jesus told his disciples to be wise as serpents, he also told them to be harmless as doves. They are use wisdom to find another way to demonstrate the love of God, but love is never demonstrated by causing harm to someone. Wisdom is listening to the other person and finding a way to share the love of Christ. The enemy works overtime exercising his "wisdom" to trick and deceive us. We need to be just as persistent to seek wisdom in how to reach someone with God's love. Zaccheaus might not have been seen as important but he was crafty and wise. He ran ahead and positioned himself to see Jesus coming his way.
Father, something inside of Zacchaeus desperately wanted to see Jesus. He didn't have the stature or clout to get through the people, but he had his mind. I give up way too easy. If someone or a crowd of people is blocking my way, I figure it wasn't my time to meet with You. I want to be wise, yes, wise as a serpent. I want to not give up when You are coming by. I do not want to miss reaching people, because I didn't press in to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. I want to be tenacious seeking You, seeing You and following Your plans for my life in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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