Archive for the ‘forgive’ tag
March 29, 2009: Jesus and Zacchaeus
The text for this lesson is Luke 19:1–10.
Key Points
- Like Zacchaeus, we are among the lost whom the Son of Man seeks and forgives. We are called to forgive those who sin against us, no matter how Zacchaeus-like they may be in their sins.
- Law: I sin by ignoring my sinfulness and focusing on the sinfulness of others, casting them aside in shame.
- Gospel: Christ’s blood covers all the sins of every sinner, no strings attached.
Context
Jesus is on the last leg of His journey to Jerusalem as He passes through Jericho. It is a few days before Palm Sunday (Luke 19:28–40). Having already extended mercy to a blind beggar, a resident of Jericho (Luke 18:35–43), Jesus now runs into another resident of Jericho in need of mercy—Zacchaeus. Because tax collectors worked for the Roman government and over-taxed to pad their own wallets, the Jews detested them as thieves and traitors. Since Zacchaeus was rich and a chief among them (Luke 19:2), he was the object of particular spite, shunned as a “sinner.”
