THE ZACCHAEUS' PRINCIPLE: TURN

(Message by Tanny Keng)

1. The Zacchaeus' Principle

a) Zacchaeus was socially somewhat on the outer. First, he was a rich man, and the implication is that he became rich by collecting taxes with rather too much commission, that is to say he was corrupt. Therefore he was probably not well liked. Secondly, he was a man of short stature, so short that he found it necessary to climb into a tree in order to see Jesus, because the crowd around Jesus blocked his view. Zacchaeus was probably more surprised than anybody when Jesus stopped under the tree and honored Zacchaeus by inviting himself to be a guest in Zacchaeus' house. (Luke 19:1-10)

b) Here is one of the elements for Zacchaeus' Principle.

2. Turn 

a) Zacchaeus didn't try to justify himself in the face of this public condemnation. Instead, he changed himself. He "put off the old" Zacchaeus who was "corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" and he "put on the new" Zacchaeus "created according to God in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24). This turning, this change, is called "repentance" which means to undergo a change of heart resulting in a change of ways. That's what Zacchaeus did. 


The End ...

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