Homecoming

Today, we hear of the story of Zacchaeus, a story that is etched in the minds of every Christian. The narrative cited Christ making a decision that was not popular amongst the vast majority, as such, it wasn't well received at all and even faced much criticism and strong disagreements. The second part of the story saw the homecoming of Zacchaeus.

There are three noteworthy characters in the scene that truly merits our attention. First, the crowd, second, Zacchaeus and third, Christ himself. Looking at the three characters, I gathered several learning points.

1. Looking at the Crowd- I see my self-righteous and condescending self, constantly critical about others, the temptation to be judgmental and the eagerness of put others down. Many a times, I have an inclination to not look at my flaws and instead, actively try to pinpoint. This inclination saw me say things like 'no hope already man...why bother...he is beyond salvation...' With some hindsight, these words seem harsh and callous. It might be especially unjust if the person is already trying his best to better himself and my remark just put him totally down....

2. Looking at Zacchaeus- I learnt that to true repentance comes with detachment, breaking away from our sinfulness.

3. Looking at Christ himself- I see that he is ever ready to welcome anyone who is willing to turn back to him. Hence if the saviour is willing to do that, who are we to turn people away... We should start to adopt the stance of constantly welcoming people as they turn back to Christ, blessing them with love, peace and joy. For this is truly what it means to be the bearer of hope...bringing Christ to the world...

The aforementioned...my learning points for today...cheers! =)