Archive for January 3rd, 2020


The Grands Letter (Lk/GLJ)

on January 3, 2020 8:08 pm (CST)
Zoom: 100%

Dear Grands,

Luke 19:1-6, “And He entered and was passing through Jericho.

2 And behold, there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; and he was a chief tax-gatherer, and he was rich.

3 And he was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.

4 And he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

6 And he hurried and came down, and received Him gladly.”

You might not know it, but there are three cities in Israel named “Jericho”: Old Testament Jericho, where Joshua fought his battle;

New Testament Jericho, where Zaccheus met Jesus; and modern Jericho. The focus of our verses above are on New Testament Jericho.

Tax Collectors were at the bottom of the heap in New Testament times. Still, regardless of their profession, they were still human beings and had the same curiosity about Jesus as one might have had toward the late Billy Graham. Had Zaccheus been satisfied with his wealth, he would probably not have cared about Jesus, even about seeing Him. We sometimes make the mistake of believing that wealthy people have no interest in spiritual matters; but that is not so! What they often do have are obstacles that seek to prevent them from grasping the spiritual.

The crowd that gathered to see Jesus was inadvertently a barrier to Zaccheus. They were many and he was short. But short people know how to compensate for their difficulties. Neither his wealth nor his smallness was going to hinder his desire. He found a tree near the road and climbed it for a “front-row” seat.

When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw Zaccheus and beckoned him to come down. It is always a compliment when the Greater calls out to the lesser. That was Jesus’ ministry throughout His three years on Earth. In fact, He is still calling out to people, who only want a glimpse of Him. He’s worth much more than a glimpse. He has a purpose for every life. First, He wants everyone to turn away from sin –their sin that pervades the world around them. Second, He wants those who repent of sin to share His Message of Salvation, because that’s why He came to Earth to die for the sins of all mankind.

Our acceptance of Him repels the sin, and He is glorified in that process. Have you done that? Are you a born-again believer in Him? If so, what is it that He has for you to do? Are you involved in doing what He desires? Zaccheus obeyed and opened his heart and home to Christ. And that’s precisely what the LORD wants of us. He wants our hearts, our homes, to be open to Him. What a wonderful Savior and LORD we have! The Greatest blesses the heart and home of the lesser. Be blessed today!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

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