"Best Day"

Then Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “You and your family have been saved today. You’ve shown that you, too, are one of Abraham’s descendants."

Luke 19:9 

 

Think about the best day you have ever had.  Maybe it was the day you got married.  Perhaps it was the day you got that job you wanted.  It might even be the day that your child was born.  Zaccheus probably hadn't had a best day in his life.  Let's face it, he was small of stature, which meant he was most likely picked on as a child.  As he got older, he became a Collector of Taxes for the Roman Government and was hated for it even though his revenge on those who hated him was the fact he was rich.  Finally, he heard that Jesus was coming, yet no one would let him get close enough to see Him.

 

Finally, he ran ahead and climbed up a tree so he could actually see this man he had heard so much about.  Imagine what went through his mind when Jesus stopped under where Zaccheus was perched, looked up and said, "Come on down, Zaccheus, I need to come to your house today."  Scripture doesn't tell us if Zaccheus climbed down, jumped down or fell out of the tree, but we see that he got down and just as he was getting ready to show Jesus the way to his house, the people who hated Zaccheus started telling Jesus that Zaccheus was a sinner of the worst kind.

 

Do you think Zaccheus was embarrassed by the comments being made to Jesus about him?  Probably.  Do you think Jesus was bothered by the way other people talked about Zaccheus? Not in the least!  In fact, Jesus reprimanded those condemning Zaccheus!  And guess what? THAT was the best day Zaccheus ever had!

 

On that day, Jesus taught US two things:  Be careful when you condemn others because it shows your own black heart; the BEST day is the day Jesus accepted us!

 

Think about it!