April 18- Little Man, Big Heart

April 18, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Joshua 16:1-18:28; Luke 19:1-27;
Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 13:11

A person's world is only as big as their heart.
 ~Tanya A. Moore

Joshua 16:1-18:28

Well, my friends, we have come to a portion of the Old Testament that requires almost no commentary.  The only thing I will say is that this is a record of the land allotted to the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.  Enjoy this break from long reading sections in the Old Testament.  Soon we will be in the book of Judges and the reading will pick up!

Luke 19:1-27

This passage begins with Jesus entering Jericho on his way to Jerusalem.  It is no mistake that Jesus takes this path to his ultimate destination of death.  You may remember that Jesus helped Joshua fight the battle of Jericho.  Jericho represents this world and Jesus goes into the world today to fight the battle of sin and to rescue a sinner. 

As he enters the city, a short man named Zaccheus has climbed a sycamore tree to get a better glimpse of Jesus.  This is no casual observer.  This is man fervent to meet God. The Bible tells us that Zaccheus was a publican.  The publicans were tax collectors for the Roman Empire who were similar to the Mafia in that they would shake down local businesses and individuals, making them pay more than was required for their taxes in order to profit from what they could skim off the top.  Zaccheus got rich by doing this.  Interestingly, Zaccheus' name means "pure."  How ironic! 

Jesus sees this sinner with a "pure" heart and calls to him up in the tree.  He tells Zaccheus to come down immediately because he must dine with him at his house tonight.  Zaccheus scrambles down to joyfully accommodate the Lord.  We do not know what was said between Jesus and Zaccheus at this dinner, but we see two results from their encounter.  First, the crowd is murmuring about Jesus eating with this sinner. They are not pleased that this jerk got special attention from such a famous visitor.  Zaccheus would have had many enemies.  Second, we see a transformed life.  Zaccheus publicly announces that he is going to give half of everything he owns to the poor and intends to restore fourfold to anyone he has taken money from dishonestly.  This act is in complete obedience to the Mosaic Law. Zaccheus began this story as a sinner looking for a savior, and ends this story as a transformed man with a "pure" heart that matches his name.  The people in Jericho did not have to hear Zaccheus' testimony of faith in God, they were able to see his faith in his actions.

Have you climbed a tree to see Jesus lately?  Do you share Zaccheus' desire to have your sins cleansed?  Will you act in obedience to the grace you have received from God? Is your faith evident through your actions?

As Jesus approaches Jerusalem, he is aware that his disciples and the crowds are hoping he will establish his kingdom on earth, right now.  Jesus tells the Parable of Ten Talents as a way of teaching the crowd God's plan to postpone the kingdom.  Jesus comes the first time as a Savior.  He will come the next time as a King.  In the story, a nobleman (Jesus) goes to a far country (heaven) to be crowned king and then return.  Before he leaves, the nobleman (Jesus) gives ten servants (believers) ten pounds of silver to invest for him.  His people (the nation of Israel) did not want the nobleman to be their king.  When he returned, he assessed how well each servant had invested his money.  Those who had been faithful with what they were given were rewarded in the kingdom.  Those who were unfaithful were killed.

Jesus is telling all believers that he will not be present for a period of time, but that he will return to earth again, one day.  When he returns he will judge how faithful we were with the gifts and talents we were given.  If our life reflects no faith in God, our actions will result in separation from God forever.

Remember:  Be faithful to live for God.  Use your life situation to glorify Him.


Psalm 87:1-7

These verses reflect that nations will follow Christ in the his earthly kingdom during the millenial reign of Jesus on earth.

Proverbs 13:11

Wealth from hard work grows.  This fits with the Talents parable!

What did you notice today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton
© 2011