A long time ago, I learned that advertising doesn't always deliver what it promises. As a kid, I saw an ad on the back of a comic book selling 5,000 toy soldiers for $1.99. It seemed like a good deal to me, so I ordered them.
When the package arrived, I discovered the soldiers were the size of ants. And the tanks pictured in the ad? They were printed on a sheet of cardboard that I had to cut out and set up. Things were not as I had envisioned them.
We're conditioned to be suspicious of advertising because we're barraged with all kinds of promises. We can get a bit skeptical.
Of course, sometimes people carry over this mindset to the Christian faith, and their first reaction to the Gospel is one of skepticism.
When I first heard about Jesus, I thought, "There is no way. I don't believe that. It isn't possible that a person could be changed dramatically by asking Jesus to come into their lives."
I was proved wrong, of course, and I'm thankful for that. But initially I wasn't sure whether I really believed such a thing.
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That is why I have always made an effort in my evangelistic preaching to give the whole message of the Gospel. I not only talk about the promise of Heaven, but I also warn of the reality of Hell. I not only share the hope of forgiveness, but I also emphasize the need for repentance.
This is because I want people to know what the Bible is saying. I don't want to give false promises. I want them to understand what their responsibility is.
And that is exactly what Jesus did. He wasn't trying to convince a bunch of people to follow him. After all, if that had been the case, he simply could have performed, on a daily basis, the miracle of feeding 5,000 people.
By the way, that was his most popular miracle. It wasn't raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, or restoring hearing to the deaf. Jesus' most popular miracle was giving people lunch.
And they loved him for it. The crowds swelled and followed him everywhere he went. In fact, they were so excited by this single miracle that they wanted to make him king right then and there. But their motives were wrong.
Jesus challenged these fickle and fair-weather followers. He spoke to them of sacrifice, commitment and dedication, and for all practical purposes, they turned away. Then he turned to his own disciples and asked, "Do you also want to go away?" (John 6:67 NKJV).
Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (verses 68–69 NKJV).
Jesus went out of his way to intentionally thin out the ranks when they artificially swelled with people who didn't really understand what he was saying.
For example, when someone came to Jesus and said, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go," he replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head" (Luke 9:57–58 NKJV).
In other words, "I appreciate the sentiment, but you'd better slow down and count the cost. I'm headed to Jerusalem to die on a cross. This isn't going to be easy. Are you really prepared to go with me?"
Later, however, as Jesus went through Jericho, he sought someone out, a man who perhaps wanted to follow him but never would have volunteered. His name was Zacchaeus, and he was a chief tax collector.
Tax collectors worked for the Romans, the occupying force and the enemy. It was the equivalent of being a backslider, a traitor. And that is just what Zacchaeus was. He was a hated man. Not only that, he was the chief tax collector.
In those days, Rome collected taxes in three primary places: Capernaum, Jerusalem and Jericho. Zacchaeus, being the chief tax collector in Jericho, was over one of the big three. We might say that he was the kingpin of the Jericho tax cartel. And he was isolated and despised by his fellow Jews.
Yet Jesus loved Zacchaeus and was going to call him. Meanwhile, Zacchaeus wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he came through town. He couldn't see over the crowd, so he scurried up a tree, which would have been a very undignified thing for him to do in that culture. But he wanted to see him.
Then, as Jesus passed by, he suddenly stopped, looked up and called out Zacchaeus by name. Jesus told him, "Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today" (Luke 19:5 NLT).
Can you imagine the excitement that must have filled Zacchaeus' heart? No doubt he made it down that tree a lot more quickly than he climbed it.
When Jesus went to Zacchaeus' house, something dramatic happened behind that closed door. The Bible doesn't reveal what it was, but it's clear that Zacchaeus was converted. He came out a different man, because he made this statement: "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!" (verse 8 NLT).
Now, this wasn't required by the law. Zacchaeus was going the extra mile. So, Jesus said, "Salvation has come to this home today. … For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost" (verses 9–10 NLT).
Zacchaeus realized that Jesus wasn't merely a guest but the host. And how important it is that we make the same discovery that he did. Once we give our lives to Jesus, we are under his command.
Is Jesus at home in your life? Does he have free rein? Maybe you need some serious housecleaning. Or, maybe you need to completely start over. Jesus is there to help you, walk with you, and change you. Like Zacchaeus, welcome him into your life and let him have his way. You won't regret it.
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