An Unexpected Guest

Hi and thanks for joining us for another daily reading from the Our Daily Bread devotional. It was written by Pope Fung, Chia, and it's titled an unexpected guest.

Zach was a lonely guy when he walked down the city streets.

He could feel the hostile clears. Then his life took a turn Clement of Alexandria, one of the church fathers says that Zach became a very prominent Christian leader and pastor of the church in Caesarea yes were talking about Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector who climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus in Luke chapter 19. What prompted him to climb the tree.

Tax collectors were perceived as traders because they heavily taxed their own people to serve the Roman empire. Yet Jesus had a reputation for accepting them. Zacchaeus might have wondered if Jesus would accept him to being short in stature. However, he couldn't see over the crowd. Perhaps he climbed the tree to seek him out and Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus to when Christ reached the tree where he was perched. He looked up and said Zacchaeus come down immediately.

I must stay at your house today. Jesus considered it absolutely necessary that he be a guest in this outcasts home. Imagine that the Savior of the world wanting to spend time with a social reject whether it's our hearts, relationships or lives that need mending, like Zacchaeus, we can have hope. Jesus will never reject us when we turn to him. He can restore what's been lost and broken and give our lives new meaning and purpose. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional Scripture reading is from Luke chapter 19 verses one through 10, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through a man was there by the name of Zacchaeus.

He was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.

He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd, so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way when Jesus reached the spot he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today so he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to matter. He has gone to be the guest of a sinner but Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord. Look, Lord, here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor and if I have cheated anybody out of anything. I will pay back four times the amount. Jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house because this man to his son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the loss. Let's pray dear Jesus, thank you for coming down to earth to rescue us sinners. We were once burdened with guilt and shame, but you wipe this all clean when you die for our sins at Calvary.

Thank you for the hope we have in you Lord, may we take joy in sharing the good news of your love and forgiveness with those who don't know you. A man thanks for listening today.

My name is Tony Collier and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries