Sunday 30 Oct 2022

October 30: Luke 19:1-10

Key Verse: Luke 19:7
All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’

Devotion:
I wonder how many people have looked at me and said something similar just because I offered help to someone who was unjust in their eyes… I know I have gone against what some people say I should have done; I didn’t do it to rile anyone or to make them angry… I did it because I had compassion for the person I was helping at the time.

Having someone standing with their face a few inches from yours and shouting at the top of their voices is intimidating at the time, but quite amusing after the fact. Having them break things around you whilst you stand up for the truth is always scary. But standing up for the truth is what Christ wants us to do as much as we can.

This is why I love this story about the tax collector named Zacchaeus! The tax collectors were amongst the most hated people at the time – some still hold grudges against them nowadays. Jesus did not see him as a hated individual; Jesus saw a man in need of a Saviour and one who would accept Christ in the near future if given the right chance.

What was that chance? To be loved by someone and to be shown compassion! Jesus knew he could love Zacchaeus and knew Zacchaeus would come to love Him too. If we could see into the future like this we may want to show compassion to more people in our lives just because we know what is going to happen. What Christ wants from us is to trust Him and show that compassion even when we do not know the outcome!

Points to Ponder:
Do you like helping people?

Will you help someone even though you don’t know if they will like it?