“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. Now a man named Zacchaeus was there; He was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to get a look at Jesus, but being a short man he could not see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, because Jesus was going to pass that way.
“And when Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully.
“And when the people saw it, they all complained, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’
“But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!’
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham!’”
—Luke 19:1-9 (NET)
Prayer + Reflection
- Ask God: “Please open my eyes to new spaces that give opportunities for new relationships in my life.”
- Pray to be undeterred, as Jesus was when ridiculed for being with those others didn’t understand.
- Spend time meditating on how your church can demonstrate Christlike hospitality.
