DEVOTION SAT 10-09-10

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9TH, 2010

“JESUS SEES BEYOND YOUR REPUTATION”

BY

DR JACK GRAHAM

And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."

—Luke 19:7

"Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he." Perhaps you knew this song as a child. But do you remember that story?

Zacchaeus was a tax collector. Basically, he was a turncoat. He got rich by cheating his own people. This man was isolated, cut off, and hated by his fellow Jews. He must have been very lonely and full of fear and anxiety.

When Jesus came to town, Zacchaeus scampered up a tree just to get a glimpse of him passing by. Jesus was working his way through the crowds; people were pressing around him, trying just to touch him. Jesus looked up, and there was Zacchaeus, literally out on a limb.

Jesus stopped. Zacchaeus' heart must have begun pounding as their eyes locked. The little man surely died a million deaths! "Oh my! He sees me. He sees me! He's looking right at me!"

And what a shock when Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus' house! I imagine Jesus smiled with amusement and love for him!

Jesus is passing your way today. Can he come and spend time with you? I can tell you, he hasn't listened to one word of criticism aimed against you. He sees you as a treasure up in that tree—the apple of his eye!

JESUS WANTS TO SPEND SOME TIME AT YOUR HOUSE