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A WORD for Thursday, July 17, 2014 Zacchaeus and Hope for the Wealthy Read Luke 18:18–30; 19:1–10 (See Bottom) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 The following lyrics will quickly bring a familiar tune to mind for some of us: Zacchaeus was a wee little man / And a wee little man was he / He climbed up in a sycamore tree / For the Lord he wanted to see / And as the Savior came that way / He looked up in the tree / And he said, Zacchaeus, you come down from there / For I’m going to your house today. The simplicity of this song—popular in many church nurseries and Sunday school classrooms—belies the profound implications of Zacchaeus’ story for our understanding of wealth, economic justice, and Jesus’ posture toward those most despised by society. While the Gospel of Luke mentions the conversion of tax collectors (3:12; 7:29; 15:1; 18:10), we know that people with this job during Jesus’ time were widely shunned. Tax collectors extorted their fellow Jews on behalf of the Roman government and used questionable methods to accrue vast personal wealth. As a senior tax official in the important business hub of Jericho, Zacchaeus would have been well known for his long involvement in the corrupt system. The crowd was shocked when Jesus approached Zacchaeus and invited Himself over: “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (19:5). That a king, much less a rabbi, would avail himself of the hospitality of a known sinner was a scandal in Jewish culture. And yet Jesus entered into relationships with the most marginalized members of society. Zacchaeus demonstrates how the gospel transforms our views about personal finance and business practices. Instead of theft, he practiced generosity. Instead of cheating others, he now made restitution. A life transformed by Jesus includes a change in the way we serve others through our wealth. Apply the Word We know from the story of the rich man in Luke 18 that money is among the greatest impediments to the kingdom of God. But Zacchaeus’ story provides hope for the wealthy that they can take steps to orient their lives around God’s will. Consider your own financial situation: is it a stumbling block to closer fellowship with God and others? Moody ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Referenced Scripture above Luke 18:18-30 New American Standard Bible (NASB) The Rich Young Ruler 18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For 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.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” 28 Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.” 29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luke 19:1-10 New American Standard Bible (NASB) Zaccheus Converted 19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. 7 When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
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A WORD for Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Wealth and the Kingdom of God Read Mark 10:17–31 (see below) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34 Examples of work and workers run throughout the Gospel of Mark, but today’s passage is one of the few times the book directly addresses economic activity. It might be tempting to dismiss this story as simply an exhortation against greed, but when we examine the context more closely we find that love is at the heart of this story of a wealthy man, his money, and Jesus and his kingdom. The drama of this scene begins with the man throwing himself at Jesus’ feet and pleading to know how to secure eternal life. Jesus lists several of the Ten Commandments, and this man can truthfully say he has kept them all since his boyhood. This is a person whose vision extended beyond the present material world and who has prioritized virtuous living. Unlike the despised tax collectors, this man had not earned his wealth through exploiting others. Jesus loved this man, and He invited him to come on the road with Him. This man had the opportunity to travel with Jesus, fellowshipping with Him and learning from Him. All he had to do was give away all of his wealth. To help with his decision, Jesus even reminded him that giving it away was really a kind of transfer from earth to heaven. But “at this the man’s face fell,” and he went away sad (v. 22). The man’s love for his money outweighed his love for Jesus and desire to be a part of the kingdom of God. We should not be too quick to dismiss him as selfish and shallow. The story is more harrowing than that interpretation would allow. This man knew about Jesus. He wanted to learn about eternal life. He cared about spiritual things. But his attachment to his wealth and status overruled his willingness to choose Jesus over money. Apply the Word Most of us can relate to this man’s struggle. What are we choosing over Jesus? When He calls us to do something, what are we clinging to instead? Do we follow Him with our choices about our resources, including our money and our time? Or are we holding on to our status, our wealth, and our comfort and trying to squeeze Jesus in on the side? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mark 10:17-31 New American Standard Bible (NASB) The Rich Young Ruler 17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words [a]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. 23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 [c]but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in [d]the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.” From: Moody
