Becoming Love: If We Start at Finish, Where Do We End? (Part 2)Sample

Day Nine - Jesus and Zacchaeus

What is your reaction to someone who is difficult to love?

Zacchaeus, as a chief tax collector, was not a well-loved man. In fact, he was despised. You can imagine that, because of this, he hardened his heart towards people to protect himself. But there is an urgency inside of him to see Jesus.

Jesus’ reaction to Zacchaeus teaches us a lot. When He reaches the tree, He looks up and tells Zacchaeus to hurry up and come down, for He must stay at Zacchaeus’ house. Jesus isn’t just responding to a random person in a tree; He responds to the urgency in Zacchaeus.

How do we apply this to our lives?

We can start with our approach to the “despised” or those difficult to love. Learn not to ignore them, as we sometimes do, but to look up. It is easy to spot eagerness. Learn to look for people who are “climbing trees” to see Jesus.

Secondly, in becoming love, we discover the principle of invitation. Jesus invites Himself to Zacchaeus’ house. Why does He do so? Because it is probably the one place he felt safe in the community. So, Jesus connects with him in a way that moves him from his own understanding of love to a love that would change him from the inside out. We become this same kind of love when we are willing to be a love that will go and find people where they are and show them what love really is about.

How do you become aware of a person who is searching for more? How can we engage the world around us that doesn't feel loved?