Articles

It takes a giant heart

Written by Alhassan Mohammed Sandargo.

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.” (NIV) Luke 19:8

The place of the tax collector in the first-century Roman world was well known to the populace. With the authority in their hand, they charged exorbitant taxes that could make one shudder. It was rather disappointing to the Jews when their fellow Jew was found in this profession. Simply put they were described as “sinners”.

The story of Zacchaeus (the name, meaning “pure” or “clean”) shows the dishonest gains he had acquired through his work. It appears indicative, however, that a man’s life is not found in the abundance of things he has acquired, whether legitimately or cunningly. And the Lord Jesus strongly expressed this truth (Luke 12:15). But to Zacchaeus, he came to himself the very day he met Jesus. Thus, he publicly denounced his former way of life and genuinely declared total restitution to any of his victims.

We are brought forth by the Lord Jesus to do good deeds (1 Timothy 6:18, Titus 3:8). But the question surfaces: what if we have robbed others of what is theirs, or have duped the innocent, have suppressed the vulnerable, have pilfered for ages because nobody is watching, or have embezzled our employers’/state funds, have overpowered the vulnerable for their land or daily bread, have constantly rendered poor services, sells inferior goods, have blocked the chances of others, etc.?

How do we put things right in order to please the Lord? For Zacchaeus, he promised two things: first, to give away half of what was legitimately his and then to restore in quadruple fold anyone he had cheated. That was a pleasing act to the Lord.

Shall we be justified by the possessions we have? Are they genuinely ours? Are we ready and willing to let go of what is not ours today, whether great or small? We can be “pure” in this matter by doing what Zacchaeus also did- sharing and restoring. It only takes a giant heart.

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