All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Zacchaeus was probably the richest man in a town where many were starving. He had a bad reputation; he was a wealthy chief tax collector. He was not loved by his neighbors and there was a good reason for this, but Jesus wanted to visit his house and it was all he needed to change his life. Zacchaeus was not asked to pay back; he decided to do it because he was thankful. So thankful that he didn’t care what others would say or how much he was about to give. All the riches and treasures of the world were little, compared to having the Lord in his house. It makes me think about grace when God forgives us. He never asks us to pay back for all our faults. Instead, He puts it in our hearts to give and to serve joyfully. That’s the difference between the deceitful works supposed to bring us to salvation and the good works God has given to us to glorify His name.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Have you heard of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous? Step 8 says: “We made a list of all persons that we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.” I can’t talk to all the people I’ve ever hurt, some of them are totally out of reach.
I remember neglecting my friendship with one of my best friends at school. During this time, I didn’t love her the way she needed and deserved. Unfortunately she died in a car accident when she was 19 years old and to this day, I want to apologize to her, but it’s too late. I’d love to pay back four times what I owed her, but now I have to choose between living with the regrets and giving from this day on. I’ve chosen to give my heart four times, like Zacchaeus. The first time is out of gratitude because God’s grace saved me. The second is to pay back, whenever possible, or to pay it forward in most of cases. The third is to heal the wounds, which is usually more important than a simple retribution. We all need to know that our feelings mattered. The last one is just for love, not only a fourth time, but many times, again and again. Satan’s lie is that I’m not loved and that I’ll never be worthy of being called a friend. Jesus said the opposite in John 15:9-15, and I believe Jesus’ word. We all have so much to give, because of the love we have received from God!
