Luke 19:5-8
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 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.”
For God Time on Fridays, I’m going to start highlighting excellent portions of excellent books. If you’re a reader, be encouraged to check out the books highlighted for a great read! Today’s quote comes from J.D. Greear’s book Gospel (p. 62):
“Zacchaeus went from being a man who sold his soul to the god of money to a man who got a buzz from giving it away. What caused that change? The focus of the story is on how Jesus treated Zacchaeus, the sinner. Jesus called Zacchaeus down from the tree when everyone else shut him out. We also know that Jesus went to eat with Zacchaeus before he repented. In that day, to share a meal with someone was a sign of acceptance, even of intimate fellowship. To eat with someone meant that you were embracing them. The Jewish leaders understandably objected: “What is He doing eating with a guy who is a known sinner? How can He communicate love and acceptance to that guy?”
Every other religion in the world would have said to Zacchaeus, “If you change, you can find God. If you change, you can find acceptance and salvation.” But the gospel is the opposite of religion. Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Zacchaeus, salvation has come to you. You didn’t go out and find salvation. It has found you.””