After an hour or so, I decided it was time to go home. I was sure my mom was worried, troubled at the thought of me being lost and alone. I was also out of snacks, freezing, and beginning to see that my brilliant plan was riddled with inconveniences. So I made the long trek back to the house, expecting a reunion of apologies and hot cocoa. After all, to them, I was lost and now found, and this seemed a necessary occasion to celebrate. I converged, however, on a much less climactic scene. Nobody had even noticed I was missing. And when no one is looking for you, it loans a hopeless dimension to being lost.
In the Gospel of Luke, Zacchaeus enters a big scene only to be largely ignored. He was trying to join the crowd that had gathered to see Jesus as he passed through Jericho. Zacchaeus was a small man, but he was also the chief tax collector, and so he was chiefly despised. The walls of men and women who blocked his view were excluding more than a man of diminutive size; they were
The rest of the story is well known. Zacchaeus was sitting inconspicuously in a tree when Jesus walked by, looked up, and called him down. At Christ’s invitation, the morally bankrupt, socially shunned tax collector came down from the tree and his life took a dramatic turn. At the conclusion of their time together, Jesus proclaimed, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). Zacchaeus had been found.
A friend of mine taught me that the Greek word for “lost” in this passage is best understood, not as doomed or damned as we often interpret, but “not in the right place.” The effect is that the finality of “lostness” is somewhat assuaged. You see, someone is looking for the misplaced coin or the sheep that has gone astray. Someone is looking in a way he wouldn’t if he thought it was gone forever. That is to say, what is lost and in the wrong place is being sought by the one who knows the right place. Likewise, what is lost is missed. And as I discovered as a ten year-old, it is this quality that makes all the difference. It is this quality that makes the journey of Lent and repentance one that is always worth taking.
Prior to meeting Jesus, like those of us displaced by our sins, banished by the judgment of others, or lost in anger or fear, Zacchaeus was simply in the wrong place. But he was not beyond the saving reach of God. He was lost, but there was someone looking. Jesus came to Jericho and to Jerusalem
By Jill Carattini
If Anointed Child has been a blessing or source of encouragement to you please consider supporting us by making a donation. Your contribution big or small, is deeply appreciated. Be Blessed!
=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=
=>> There Is Power in Prayer! Your Prayers Have the Power to Profoundly Impact Your Destiny. <<=
Jumpstart your prayer life today with empowering, uplifting and inspiring 30 Days of Prayer. Act Now! Don’t let the enemy cheat you out of your divine destiny! Invest in your prayer life today, and begin to unlock your destiny through powerful prayers!
Don’t underestimate the power of prayer! People are testifying of financial breakthroughs, business breakthroughs, job promotions, marital breakthroughs, academic breakthroughs, healing and so much more, after 30 Days of Prayer!
~ Act Now, Tomorrow Is Promised to Man! Take the Challenge Today & Begin to Unlock Your Destiny Today! Tomorrow May Be Too Late! ~
=>> 30 Days of Prayer <<=
=> 30 Day Prayers for Singles
=> 30 Day Prayers for Fasting
=> 30 Day Prayers for Healing
=> 30 Day Prayers for Success
=> 30
=> 30 Day Prayers f
=> 30
=> 30 Day Prayers for
=> 30 Day Prayers for your Finances
=> 30 Day Prayers for your Business
=> 30
=> 30 Day Prayers to Unlock your Destiny
=> 30 Day Prayers for Stubborn Situations
The Key to Answered Prayers:
2. Be obedient.
3. Seek God’s will.
4. Repent your sins.
5. Pray without ceasing.
6. Pray with perseverance.
7. Praying with persistence.
8. Pray in the name of Jesus.
9. Give thanks and praise to the Lord.
Like Our Facebook Fan Page
Subscribe For Free Email Updates