Ensign: Make Haste, And Come Down

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.            Isaiah 18:3

 

AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS                                                 14 October 2016

 

Children seem to especially like the story of Zaccheus, perhaps more for its action (Zaccheus climbs the sycamore tree to see Jesus, and then Zaccheus climbs down again at Jesus' request) than its meaning.  But all of us can read Luke 19:1-10 as children, for then we are like those in heaven.  "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 18:4)

 

The only person described in the Bible as "little of stature" (Luke 19:3) could have been just another face in the crowd.  In his position as a tax collector (a "publican" in Jesus' day), Zaccheus couldn't avoid public notoriety, unlike his modern day counterpart, for he like Levi before Jesus called him was seen as representative of the Roman occupiers. 

But Jesus called him too, and gave him a choice.  Verse 5 records that Jesus "came to the place, and looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house."  In Jericho, then a customs station on a major trade route with a likely population of thousands, Jesus came specifically for Zaccheus.  Jesus still comes for each of us and calls us by name.

 

At a political convention, it's easy to sway crowds.  It was easy to sway crowds calling for Jesus' execution after he was arrested too.  But it's much harder to sway an individual, someone who is committed to thinking for himself or herself based on the facts.  Zaccheus had the advantages of a public reputation, even if it was a bad one.  In 19:7, we see how "they all murmured, saying, That [Jesus] was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner". 

The big secret here . . . we're all sinners! 

Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" sounds pithy, but look at the next verse.  "Being justified freely by [God's] grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:", translated, through the, through our, redemption in Christ, we no longer "come short" of God's glory or God Himself.  But we still have to climb down the sycamore tree where Jesus finds us.  And we have to be quick about it!     

 

Sincerely yours,

David    

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with you, and I hope it encourages us too! If it's not or you want me to get lost, please let me know. Thank you!

Thank YOU, Lord, that we can come to You in prayer and that we can count on You to provide for all our needs, even when we don't know what they are. And let us come to You in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence and all over the world.

Thank You as well, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life through You by Your Son Our Brother, Jesus Christ.

And I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.