majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 19:9,
"Today salvation has come to this house, because this man [Zacchaeus],
too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save
what was lost."
Paul makes an important point in Romans 9:6-8, "Not all who are
descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants
are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, 'It is through Isaac
that your offspring will be reckoned.' In other words, it is not the
natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the
promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring."
Faith in the Lord is what makes one "offspring" of Abraham. Being a
son of Abraham is a reference to being of the faith of Abraham, hence
being righteous in the sight of God and included in his kingdom
blessed with eternal life. In Romans 4:16 we read, "Therefore, the
promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be
guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the
law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the
father of us all." It is by faith.
So, when the Lord called Zacchaeus "a son of Abraham", what did he
mean? What we learn from the Lord here is that Zacchaeus was a man of
faith. He might have been a sinner, as the people muttered about him
in Luke 19:7. All people of faith come to the point of faith as
sinners.
Zacchaeus gave his possessions to the poor and paid back four times
the amount he had cheated folks out of. Was it these good deeds of
Zacchaeus that made him a son of Abraham? These things he did were a
reflection of the faith he had placed in the Lord. James tells us that
the kind of faith the Lord looks for within us, the saving kind of
faith, is the faith that will be reflected in the things we think, do
and say, not the other way around. "Someone will say, 'You have faith;
I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you
my faith by what I do." James 2:18.
Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham, not because he was a Jew or because he
did good deeds. He was a son of Abraham because he demonstrated the
same faith Abraham had by his actions.
If it took being a Jew doing good deeds to get into heaven, I'd have
to "hang it up." There would be no way for me. I'm not the first and I
struggle with the second. How wonderful God's promise of eternal life
is offered to us all for one thing and one thing alone: faith in him!
When we express the faith Abraham had we are considered Abraham's
children, members of God's kingdom and the inheritors of eternal life!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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