Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, March 21, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Jesus broke down the statuses of “good” and “bad” people, and offered compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, and love to all people.
The Jewish people had come to believe that the good and bad things that happened to them were a direct result of their actions. This worked well for the people who were blessed and considered themselves good. But this was not great news for those who either behaved terribly (and would soon suffer for their sin) or who had terrible things happen to them (so had done something horrible to deserve them).
Jesus palpably shook this perspective to its core. When a large crowd pressed in on him for teaching and healing, a blind man caught his attention. Bystanders scolded the man, believing that a blind man that had to have done something terrible to deserve blindness was not worthy of Jesus’ attention. Jesus disagreed. He called the man forward, and in the hearing of everyone asked the man what he wanted. All could hear that the man wanted restoration—of his sight and his status in the community. Jesus granted it. How were the crowds to treat the man now? Was the man still responsible for the actions that had led him to be blind in the first place? Or was he truly restored?
Next, Jesus took on a man whose actions were reprehensible, but had not yet suffered consequences. In fact, he was doing quite well for himself. He was prospering nicely due to his thievery. Still, while others distanced themselves, Jesus leaned in. He welcomed Zacchaeus and invited himself into his home. Again, the crowds didn’t know what to do with this. Was Zacchaeus forgiven? Did they have to accept him now that Jesus had? No, instead they grumbled, turning on Jesus instead of turning their hearts toward Zacchaeus.
In an interesting move, Zacchaeus was moved by Jesus’ compassion and committed to changing his ways. It wasn’t until Jesus showed him his own worth that he became willing to live up to his potential. It’s reminiscent of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. Valjean was a thief until an act of mercy showed him his worth. He immediately changed his ways and set out to change the world as best he could—by taking in the orphaned child of an embattled former employee. Sometimes an act of compassion has the power to shift our perspective so that we can live up to the our potential seen by another.
Jesus’ radical actions of compassion and acceptance made the people rethink how they believed the world worked. He broke down the binary notion of good and bad, and extended love to all people, regardless of their behavior or perceived consequences. He showed that all are worthy of love, and that none are above the need for forgiveness.
