unmerited

Today we see an example of God's proactive, unmerited grace in the One Year Bible reading from Luke 19:1-27. Jesus is walking down the road, and Zacchaeus, a notorious tax collector (a sinner despised by everyone, especially devout Jews), climbed up a tree in order to see Him.

Jesus comes to the tree and tells Zacchaeus to come down from the tree because He's going to eat at his house. The religious leaders are all upset because Jesus is headed to this sinner's house.

But in response to His grace, Zacchaeus vows to give money to the poor and pay back anyone he's cheated. Notice he does this AFTER Jesus says He's going to His house.

Many highly religious people today have a problem with this order. In fact, when the order of grace and then repentance is brought up, they'll usually reply, "Well, Jesus knew his heart... that he was already repenting." But this doesn't add up. First, because the Bible never mentions this, in any of the cases of His forgiveness and mercy and grace coming BEFORE someone's repentance. And second, because none of us would be capable of repenting without His mercy and forgiveness.

When we re-read John 3:17, we realize that all of us... ALL OF US... were sinners lost to damnation at one time. But that God in His mercy, reached out to ALL OF US and gave us the offer of salvation. He began reaching out to us, giving us mercy and grace and forgiveness, long before we ever showed any signs of repentance. In fact, we could never have had the heart or the desire to repent if it weren't for His love that led us into that repentance.

So let's show the same love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace to the sinners who have not yet learned of His salvation. Let's reach out with the sunshine of His love into the darkness of sinner's lives. Let's extend that same generosity that He showed to us. And that He showed to Zacchaeus.

And we'll be amazed what a change that will bring.

God, thanks for Your mercy and forgiveness. Help us to act like You.