Luke 19:1-27
Jesus and Zacchaeus
He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 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 down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then 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 came to seek out and to save the lost.”
The Parable of the Ten Pounds
11 As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. 13 He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’14 But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came forward and said, ‘Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.’ 17 He said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.’ 18 Then the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your pound has made five pounds.’ 19 He said to him, ‘And you, rule over five cities.’20 Then the other came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’ 24 He said to the bystanders, ‘Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ 25 (And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten pounds!’) 26 ‘I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.’”
What Does the Passage say?
We have safely returned to Roanoke. I would like to thank all, who prayed for our trip. My apologies for not being able to keep up with the daily devotions, during the last part of our journey.
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V. 1-10 Jesus Zacchaeus’ house. Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector was trying to see Jesus. However, the Bible records that Zacchaeus was ‘short in his stature.’ That might have been a reason why he climbed the sycamore tree. But at the same time, that might have been a reason why he chose to live as a tax collector, which people considered as a traitor at that time. He could have been unsatisfied of his stature, and pursued a path to fulfill his unsatisfaction through another outlet. That pursuit might have helped him to achieve his goal, but wasn’t able to carry out his desire from the core. He wanted to see if there were more.
Jesus sees his desire and approaches him. Not only that he approaches him, but Jesus also express his desire to spend time with Zacchaeus. Reconnecting with Jesus, Zacchaeus’ deepest desire is fulfilled.
V. 11-27 Then Jesus tells the people a parable about the nobleman, who entrusts ten pounds to his servants. He takes off on a journey to a distant country to gain royal power. He assigns ten pounds of mina, which is worth 30 months of labor. Like the other parable of talents, two come back with a proceed and one doesn’t. The Lord rewards the two who were faithful to their assignments, and punishes the one who wasn’t.
What Does it Mean to Me/ Us?
What do these two stories tell us? For the parable, I notice that there is a difference compared to the other parable of talents. It says, “A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return” (v. 12 NRSV). Comparing this verse to Jesus who ascended into heaven, and who entrusted us the authority of heavens to ‘make disciples,’ until he comes back to establish his kingdom, the parable is a call to all his followers.
Meaning that we need to make us of the ‘ten pounds,’ the authority is given to us. “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: God out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the ages” (Matthew 28:19-20 The Message).
The mission assigned to us is to reach out to the people like Zacchaeus. People who seem to have it all, but don’t have it. People who cover their vulnerability with the achievement of the world. People who have a deep urge of fulfillment that is only filled by Jesus Christ. We are called to be part of their life. We are given the authority to be part of their life. And when the Lord comes, we will be accountable of our obedience.
Prayer
Lord, you entrusted us with this awesome opportunity to be part of the life of others. However, we lost our focus and only look at our lives. Be with us, as we change our perspective to the coming of your Kingdom. Help us to come to your presence with all our efforts to be obedient to you call. In Christ name, we pray. AMEN.
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