Theme: Seek Jesus and good

Zacchaeus and Jesus

Zacchaeus was a man who lived many years ago, at the time when Jesus also lived here on Earth. He was Jewish and the Jewish were dominated by the Roman people.

The Romans forced the Jews to pay taxes for them and Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector.

Zacchaeus became very rich with his work. But the Jews didn't like him, nor the other tax collectors. For the Jews it was as if they were traitors or exploiters of their own people.

At that time, people talked a lot about Jesus and the amazing things he did and spoke. Zacchaeus, realizing that he must be a very special person, wanted to meet him.

Once, Jesus went to the city of Jericho, where Zacchaeus lived, and Zacchaeus went looking for him, excited about the opportunity to meet him.

But Jesus was surrounded by many people and Zacchaeus was not tall, he was a man of low stature. He couldn't see Jesus in the crowd.

So, he ran ahead of the road where Jesus was supposed to go, climbed a tree, and waited.

When Jesus passed by, a surprising thing happened: Jesus stopped and said:

- Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because it suits me to stay at your house today.

Many people thought it was bad and criticized Jesus saying that he was going to stay in a sinner's house. But Jesus knew people and things better than anyone else, and he did.

Zacchaeus was very happy and in the presence of that person, so good, who was Jesus, he wanted to be good too, and he said:

– I will give to the poor half of my goods, and if I have harmed someone, I will give him four times what he had before.

Jesus, then, approving the attitude of Zacchaeus, said:

- Today, there was salvation in this house, since this one is also a son of Abraham. Because the son of the man came to seek and save the lost.

This was the way of Jesus saying that Zacchaeus was also a son of God and that he, Jesus, had come into the world to help people find the path of goodness, as he did with Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus' life after this encounter with Jesus was changed forever.

This was the story of Zacchaeus, been told by the Bible, showing the example of a person who sought Jesus and managed to find the Master and, thanks to that, a better spiritual life, following the path of goodness.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com