Kate said Could. Go.
Could I have gone that far? If I was in his shoes, would I have done the same?
Knowing what the Lord has done for me now and how far I’ve gone in my walk with Him, the answer would be a resounding yes.
But this guy did all this before he’d gotten to know Jesus personally.
His job already meant he was persona non-grata and considered a traitor. Yet, he must have drawn even more attention to himself – risking ridicule and embarrassment as he climbed the tree like a little boy (Luke 19:1-4).
But Zacchaeus’ determination paid off. Jesus not only noticed him, He called him by name and went to his house for dinner!
“When Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house”. (Luke 19:5 AMP)
Jesus honoured Zacchaeus’ thirst for Him. Zacchaeus’ extraordinary pursuit of the Lord touched Jesus’ heart, so much so that we are still talking about it thousands of years later.
Jesus honoured Zacchaeus' thirst for Him. Zacchaeus' extraordinary pursuit of the Lord touched Jesus' heart, so much so that we are still talking about it thousands of years later. Share on XJesus went to unprecedented lengths to come into our mess and show love to us – he knows far better than anyone what it means to be rejected and ridiculed because you’re not following popular opinion. He in turn always acknowledged whenever any one did what they could in their thirst for Him.
The woman with the alabaster jar of expensive perfume was told off by the guests in Simon’s house for wasting money that could have been used to feed the poor (Mark 14:1-9).
I expect many of us would agree with them. After all, taking care of the less privileged is something God Himself asks us to do and this woman had just wasted more than a year’s wages!
But Jesus’ response was surprising. He said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me…she did what she could…” (Mark 14:6-9; NIV)
Zacchaeus and the woman in Bethany both did what they could. And it paid off. Are you and I doing what we can? To hunger after Jesus? To live for Him? Or are we letting what people might say or think stop us from living in the fullness of what God has in mind for us?
Zacchaeus and the woman in Bethany both did what they could. And it paid off. Are you and I doing what we can? To hunger after Jesus? To live for Him? Or are we letting what people might say or think stop us from living in the… Share on XThis reflection was written using the word prompt ‘could’ as part of the Five Minute Friday link-up. You can find all the other places where this reflection may be linked up here.
(Image credit: Lina Volkmann from Unsplash)
I like how you use Zaccheus to illustrate this. Jesus seea things in us we don’t ourselves. God bless end #4.
I’m so glad He does!
Praying this morning that I could.
I love this and especially Zacchaeus who did everything he could in his desire to see Jesus – and as you say regardless of any mockery – let that be our desire – beautiful 🙂
When we are willing to do anything to encounter Jesus, what we could do looks a little different. I’m sure there were lots of people in that crowd that thought they couldn’t get any closer to Jesus, but not Zacchaeus. He wanted to see Jesus so much that he could suddenly do things he wouldn’t normally. Great thoughts!
Amie, FMF #12
May we always be that determined and motivated to seek Him
Could I have done the things they did,
given what they gave?
Could I have dropped, gotten rid
of the wealth I’d worked to save
to follow Christ, not looking back
at all I’d left behind,
my few belongings in a sack,
and Heaven on my mind?
Could I have faced the growing storm,
steadfast and resolute?
For me that would not be the norm,
and I dare not impute
to myself thse noble graces,
but I hope I hold their traces.
I’m hoping the same for myself too Andrew!
Lovely. Thank you!
You found some excellent biblical examples for today’s prompt- thank you! “Are you and I doing what we can?” I will ponder that today.
Zaccheus – a perfect could.
the doing with determination! Yes!! That was Zaccheus and the woman. Love this!!
I love your take on Zacchaeus’ story. So often we focus on how bad he was before and how Jesus transformed him, and of course that’s true, but I was struck by how even before he met Jesus he had that desire and he made a huge effort to seek him.
Thank God that He doesn’t judge us by how bad we are ‘before’. If we seek Him, we find Him. So encouraging.
Good questions and examples, Wemi.
Thanks for sharing.
Visiting from #35
Visiting you from FMF #36. I love how you found the ‘could’ in these two biblical narratives. The way you wove the two together into one big ‘could’ was inspiring.
I’m glad they inspired you. Thank you for reading and commenting
Love these examples of people who could go the distance to seek after Jesus. That’s how I want to be too! Thank you for sharing your insight! Great post Wemi!
I want to be like that too! God help us
Love this post! (Great image too). We learn so much from Zaccheus’s story. I appreciate the way you brought this story to life and the questions asked. “Zacchaeus and the woman in Bethany both did what they could. And it paid off. Are you and I doing what we can? To hunger after Jesus? To live for Him? Or are we letting what people might say or think stop us from living in the fullness of what God has in mind for us?”
Thank you! 🙂
This is a great reminder that doing what we can is enough. May I just do what I can today, and not worry about the rest. Thanks for linking up at Grace & Truth.
Amen. Thanks for reading.
I love your word picture about Zacchaeus! Thank you!
Thank you for reading and commenting