Luke 19:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
Jesus saw something in Zachaeus that no one noticed. He saw gold! Now, I am not talking about something materialistic, but he saw the gold in a man who was a tax collector. Zachaeus was a Jewish man who not only collected taxes, but he worked for the unclean Gentiles.
We see Jesus having this moment as he entered the town of Jericho. I could only imagine the crowd that flocked around Jesus. There would have been pushing and shoving to get a glimpse of the man who did miraculous healings.
I believe Jesus had people on his mind. He had his mind on those who were considered the garbage in life. He spent time with tax collectors, prostitutes, drunkards, and those who were looked down upon. As a matter of fact, we see throughout Scripture in the Gospels, he even knows them by name.
It is amazing what can happen in our own lives when we refuse to settle for the ‘garbage’ view, and we stay dedicated to the ‘gold’ view of people.
What if we chose to start seeing the potential of others like the addicts leading transformed lives and being part of our communities. Seeing those that have been imprisoned working to lead better lives. It takes seeing the ‘gold’ in people in the way Jesus does. Choose to be a finder of gold in others.
Strength and Courage
Michael
