And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:9–10, ESV
Pride is the downfall of many as the adage goes, “Pride comes before the fall.” It is a struggle that we, as humans, have been bridled with because it is most often in our nature. We can even become prideful in our humility ala “My greatest asset is my humility.” Pride can become like a protective shield to reject the negative things said or done in life, or it can be fed by the adoration of people. The man, Zacchaeus, to whom the home that Jesus was visiting belonged, could have ignored the caterwauling that was going on about Jesus’ visit and justified everything that he did, but instead, he offered up a means to make amends if there were those that were defrauded because of his work as a tax collector. We don’t know if any had an actual claim, but we do know that no matter if the tax collector was honest or dishonest, they were disliked and seen as traitors. Jesus was not speaking about the external, but what was inside Zacchaeus and how his heart sought the favor of the Lord. Our Lord does the same for us as we stand firm in our faith lives and seek to please God through our actions and words. He brings restoration to the broken and lifts up the humbled heart. He removes the stain of the past and paints a whole new picture for our lives. He brings salvation to those that were otherwise lost and renews the promise given to the chosen people of Israel, to which He cleaves those of us not born into that promise. For those that reject Him, there is no hope, and the promise is not found in them, but for those of us who are claimed and marked as the people of God, eternity lies before us as our Lord uses us to seek the lost and bring them to salvation.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.