Finding that Foundation: Blocking Salvation

Howdy All!

This is usually the part where Josh tells you about something he has encountered this week. That's right - TWIST! I'm not Josh! This week the fine young man that usually chats to you is away on a camp! But as many of you know, he doesn't believe in "cooling off" for a week when it comes to God so he's asked me to take his place in conversing with you!
I'm Jono, born and raised in a christian family in the the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. I love my sport, mucking around with mates and drumming! But believe it or not I'm reasonably educated to! I know right? Oxymoronic personality if I've ever heard one! I took a leaf out of Josh's book a week and a bit ago so if you wanna read anymore of my thoughts and encounters in my Christian walk feel free to visit my blog at http://resurrectingalpha.blogspot.com/. But as I'm a guest here and you're looking for some wise words, I'll take us into the meaty stuff!

Luke 19:1-10 - Zaccheus the Tax Collector (NIV)
¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ²A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
⁵When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
⁷All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
⁸But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
⁹Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

I had no idea what to talk about when Josh first asked me to take his place this week, but I saw this bible story as relevant as any as I am a guest as much as anyone tonight, just as Jesus was to Zacchaeus. It's a passage in stark contrast to what Josh shared last week about knowing your limits in the world we live in. We definitely need to know our limitations in order to be of use for God. But in this story Jesus goes out of his way to really sit down and reach out to a tax collector and really connect with this man who is clearly heading down the wrong path.

Firstly we need to grasp why this is such a big deal. What we must understand is that Zacchaeus is just about one of the most hated and despised people in Jericho. He was the leading man in an area of work that already received money from the people, but then he went on to take more than what he should. He cheated and stole from people! And if you've ever been overcharged or taxed for something, you'll know how angry that makes a person! The people of Jericho that had listened to Jesus talk about them as sinners and had further interacted with Jesus also instructed him that he should not go to the guest of such a sinner as Zacchaeus. This shows an incredible feeling of superiority that the people of Jericho feel toward Zacchaeus, "we're sinners, but HIM - he's worse!"

These are the same people that go on and crowd around Jesus showing little concern for Zacchaeus and his shorter height as he is forced to climb a tree in order to see Jesus past the hundreds of people! I think this often reflects the attitude of Christians today. We keep Jesus to ourselves as if we're "better sinners". We often prove a road block for those who need a helping hand forward. What if there wasn't a tree there for Zacchaeus? He would never have been noticed, and might never have been guided to salvation.

Another view to be put under the microscope is within the phrase; "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner." We already looked at the arrogant attitude the people portrayed when referring to him as "a sinner". But when you look at this arrogance, clearly they do not entertain those they believe to be of lesser quality. So when Jesus becomes the guest to Zacchaeus - bringing himself down to that level - they are simply shocked!

Every man and woman deserves a chance at knowing our God and sharing in his salvation. Why should we stand in the way of them repenting and finding refuge in our Savior just as we have?

The thing that disheartens me most is when I see somebody that is obviously struggling for reason, they are lost for purpose or they are hurting and need assistance that could be as simple as helping them to the front of a crowd - and Christians just pass them by. I know I've done it. We just think our times of greater value to us than to them when really, this time we don't share is often used on things that aren't actually going to further the greater picture, God's Kingdom. We need to be guests to people like this. Put aside any feelings of superiority or arrogance we have and do just as Jesus did - reach out to them in a personal manner. If we don't we are just blocking others from reaching the amazing salvation of God.

My questions that I'll leave with you are:

When have you been the road block in somebodies interaction with God? Why?
Is there anybody in this state of mind you know, that you haven't reached out to?
Have you ever acted in an arrogant way towards a "sinner"?
Who's house can you introduce God's salvation to? WILL YOU?

Thanks guys, it's been fun - I've tried to keep it basic yet constructive. Keep reading and Josh will be back next week! God Bless!