Acceptance

What does it mean to be accepted?  Does it mean to have wonderful friends who love you no matter what? Or maybe it just means that you get invited? Or perhaps it means that you have officially accomplished your goals of going to college or grad school?

The Lord's acceptance of everyone and society's refusal to accept certain people are revealed in the story of Zaccheus. The reading this week comes from Luke 19:1-10...

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

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.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

In this story, Zaccheus is a tax collector, looked down upon by most everyone else in Jericho. However, Jesus did not hesitate to accept him and forgive him for his sins. Let us keep in mind the Lord's acceptance of everyone while we carry out our day-to-day tasks. What better way to show the acceptance and love of Jesus Christ than by accepting people in His love, ourselves?

John 6:37

 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

Romans 15:7

 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.