Transformed

Zaccheus climbed a sycamore tree because the crowd was so large.  He wanted a glimpse of Jesus.  Did only curiosity motivate him?  There may have been something much bigger stirring in the heart of this man of small stature.

When Jesus approached the tree, He looked up at Zaccheus and called him down.  The Scriptures tell us he came down joyfully as Jesus had invited Himself over to dine with Zaccheus.

The crowds grumbled, of course, presuming Jesus was clueless about not only who Zaccheus was but his occupation.  Tax collectors carried with them reputations of deep dishonesty and Zaccheus was not only a tax collector, but the chief of the tax collectors. He probably swindled wages owed to those working under him too.

The next scene is the salvation and complete proof of a true transformation in Zaccheus.  He promised Jesus that he would return four times the amount he stole from people.  Zaccheus recognized his sin immediately, and Jesus honors the repentance in Zaccheus' heart by stating to everyone present that salvation had come to this home.  Jesus also reiterated the fact that His purpose was to save the lost.

How difficult life must have been for Zaccheus after he returned to work the next day as a changed man.  He was still a tax collector despised by the people.  What a humbling experience to now trace back every dishonest act against others and restore back to them what he stole.  Now he would strive to do honest work, but carry with him the reputation of being a tax collector with people still assuming he was dishonest.

How gracious are we to those transformed by their encounter with Jesus and have repented?  May we learn to open our eyes and love like Jesus those who strive to overcome their past by God's grace.

The Lesson From the Sisters

Entering the village of Bethany, Jesus stopped by the home of Martha and Mary, and their brother, Lazarus.   On what may have been His first visit in their home with them, Martha rushed off to the kitchen.  Suddenly, she realized that Mary had not offered to help in the cooking and serving of the meal.  The Scriptures are silent about who else accompanied Jesus, but it's pretty safe to assume that Lazarus and some of the disciples were there too.  Mary listened as Jesus spoke to someone besides her.

When Martha became overwhelmed with her preparations, she decided to discuss the situation with Jesus.  She pointed out her need for help and expected Jesus to tell her sister to help her.  However, Jesus rebuked Martha for her anxiety.  Her words bled with a "poor me" mentality  which showed her insecurity and possibly a struggle with her self-worth. She asked Jesus if He cared about the wrong treatment she felt she had received from her sister.  She might have wondered if Jesus even noticed the amount of work she put in trying to serve Him.  

She definitely felt slighted by Mary's lack of help, but her anxiety might have been caused by either her excessive preparations or the possibility from the number of guests present. (Luke 10).  Jesus ignored her question regarding His care for her and commended Mary's choice to listen.  He refused to deny her this opportunity. It's possible that Mary's faith actually needed strengthening at this point in order to best prepare her for what the future held.

Only Jesus would know what both sisters truly needed at this time in their lives.  Martha's encounter with Jesus apparently taught her the valuable lesson she needed to learn.  The next time we hear about Jesus dining with them, she prepared the meal alone again without any complaints.  

However, the one upset with Mary's choice on this occasion was Judas Iscariot.  He gave off what sounded like a righteous concern about a better use of the money Mary used to purchase pure nard to anoint Jesus' feet.  Jesus saw through his facade and once again praised Mary's choice.  (John 12). 

We too can get distracted by the wrong things and miss the true intentions of others.  We may fall prey to the selfish acts of others and even at times develop a victim mentality.  Martha first believed she was being mistreated by Mary's choice and not only wanted some help but probably some attention to what she was doing.  

We do know that money can absolutely be used wastefully at times.  Judas' downfall was money, and despite all the time he spent with Jesus, he never understood Him the way these two sisters did.

We need to guard our hearts or we can become blinded to the truth lived out in front of us.  Martha took heed to Jesus' rebuke, and we see the way her faith developed to the point of cheerfully serving a meal without help or complaints.  She no longer stressed over her sister's choices. 

The Deception of Pride

A walk through the gospel gives us a picture of the deception of pride.  The religious leaders in Jesus' days followed Him from impure motives.  They held on to their traditions like they were God's gift to them, and so whenever Jesus seemed to break their man-made laws it provided them with more evidence for their case against Him.

How often do we approach situations and people with our own preconceived ideas, too?  We question the heart and motives of those who use different methods then us.  We jump to conclusions and think the worse about what others are doing.  We don't understand or dislike something and therefore decide that it must be bad.

When we don't like what others are doing, we need to step back and examine our own hearts.  We need to carefully guard against the spirit of pride and judgment.  If not, we may become the Scribes and Pharisees dwelling in the church today.  Jesus looked into their hearts and called them hypocrites and white-washed tombs.

Father, open our eyes and  help us recognize areas in which pride has found a foothold in our hearts.  Give us the courage to face it and release it to You, so that deception will be lifted from us and we might walk in the truth toward others and ourself.

The Cleansing of Captivity

The Lord warned the Israelites that sin gave their enemies opportunities to captivate them, but they took no heed to His Word.  Already a divided country, Israel had been led into captivity.  In Jeremiah we read how Babylon has now taken Judah captive.  

However, the Lord never leaves His people without a faithful witness, and Jeremiah speaks to the people about their freedom again.  He reminds them that the Lord's plans entail a future and a hope for them (Jer. 29:11-13).  During captivity, the Israelites need to focus on walking with the Lord once again.

Jeremiah continually reminded the people about the Lord's plan to return them to their promised land.  Just like in the days of Moses, the people experienced slavery for a time so they might truly understand freedom.  Once again, they needed to recognize the importance of relying on the Lord.

The Lord instructs Jeremiah to warn the people about false prophets, because the Lord knows how prone people are to deception in difficulties.  When life gets hard, people tend to look for the easiest solution out of it.  However, captivity helps dross to rise to the surface in order for a necessary cleansing to be revealed.  When the cleansing is complete, then freedom comes and can truly be enjoyed.

Where are we today?  The Lord wants us to recognize the truth about where we are, so that we might indeed be free!

Perfect Timing

The five thousand fully satisfied from being fed now begin to desire to make Jesus king (John 6).  When Jesus perceives their intention toward Him, He dismisses Himself from their presence.

Jesus knew His purpose. This time on earth served the purpose of providing salvation for us.  Jesus kept His sights on what He was called to do.  He knew in the right time, His day would come to rule as king, and that time had not yet arrived.   We still wait for that day.

Do we know our purpose?  Do we know how to keep our focus on what the Lord calls us to do today?  Let's guard against jumping ship to the next best thing and therefore miss out on God's perfect timing for all things right now.

Divine Appointment

They had made a long walk and while the disciples went in search for food, Jesus waited at Jacob's well outside the city of Samaria.  At the noon hour, when she knew no one else would be there she approached the well.  Unknown to her, Jesus waited there for her.  She had no clue that a Divine appointment had been set for her.

Jesus broke two traditional rules in His encounter with her.  He spoke to a woman in public and He was a Jew speaking with a Samaritan.  None of that mattered to Jesus, because He knew this woman needed truth and she was ready for it.  Her life and many others were changed that day.   When she was done speaking with Jesus, she testified about Him to others.

We never know what a day holds for us, but Divine appointments await us.  May we be open to them and allow ourselves to then be used to testify what the Lord has done for us in order to point others to or back to Jesus.

A Prayer of Transformation

A true friend never gives up believing in who we are striving to be as a child of the King of Kings, even when we're stuck in a bad place longer then we should be there.

You are this kind of friend to us, Lord.  You made us.  You have a plan for us.   You never give up on us.  We're undeserving of your grace and kindness and yet you don't withhold it from us when we seek You with all our heart.

We need You.  We continually fall into the same traps in our minds in dealing with certain sins in our lives.   We need You to open the eyes of our hearts and strengthen us.  We need Your heart and Your perspective on life.  We need to rest in what You can do in us and through us each day.

Thank You that You hear the cry of our hearts and come to us, always.  We reach out for Your place of refuge.  You are our strong tower.  Amen.