“Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by. When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home.’ Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, ‘What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?’ Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, ‘Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I’m caught cheating, I pay four times the damages.’” (Luke 19:1-8 The Message Bible)
After daily trips to the grocery store, I have come to a conclusion based on my observations over a long period of time. The conclusion: Many people will avoid contact with each other. The customary, “How you doing?” question, the one typically asked as we briskly pass each other with no intention of waiting for an answer, has even faded to a degree.
What are my observations? People you pass on the parking lot or inside the retail store, most of the time customers, but sometimes employees working in the store, and greeters too, they don’t look at you. Being fair, let me inject that there are those exceptions. There are those who walk around with a smile, persons who light up the space, and they look you in the face, brightening up others’ days. Sometimes this is followed by a brief verbal exchange.
However, there are those who rush by you, seemingly in a hurry, on a mission, just like you and I, trying to get in and get out of the store expeditiously. Occasionally you engage in a brief conversation with other customers, people you have never seen in your life. Inevitably, in the midst of such brief talks, after establishing quick rapport, the question arises, initiated by you or that person, a complete stranger, “What church do you attend?” When that happens, the door is open for some personal evangelism. Thank God! We do have to go ye therefore and make disciples, right? “Therefore” includes the retail store, our workplaces, and even in the sanctuary when someone shows up that you have never seen before; a visitor. Or perhaps that person in your “therefore” church sanctuary is a person that has not been to the church for, let’s just say, “a long time.”
Still sharing my observations at the store, let me tell you more. Many people, including us at times as well, have their heads looking down, literally or turning their heads a little, pretending to have a sudden, deep interest in some merchandise. Of course that is a façade, a technique to avoid interaction. Yes, avoiding interaction is the objective behind their actions. Like a referee or umpire, I’m just calling it like I see it.
Not to be excluded, at times we are the guilty party, prompted to put our heads down because of what we assume about the stranger, the man or the woman who is approaching our way, as we see them from a distance. At times, we forget the “therefore” which is in the Great Commission for a purpose, and we fail to lift up our heads, often out of fear or because we surmise, by their appearance, that this person falls into the category of a “Zaccheus Type” of person. You know I’m telling the truth. Guess what? That “Zaccheus Type” of person needs Jesus too! Today’s contemporary “Zaccheus Type”, the people who we pre-judge to be a person walking the crooked path and not the narrow path of righteousness, they are candidates for evangelism and are one of the individuals who needs to be invited to come to Jesus.
Look! I know the environment that we live in today! I value your safety! So I would be negligent if I did not add a soft disclaimer. I will tell you to be wise. Yes, I will add that disclaimer. Furthermore, I advise that you use discretion, but let the Holy Spirit make the decision on what you should do or what you should say. Let Him direct you. I’ll counter the disclaimer a little, using the words of Paul, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).” If you feel more comfortable reaching out to strangers when you are with someone, I’m not mad at you. I did remember Jesus sending out His disciples in a tough world in pairs.
Now with all that said, let’s put it all out on the table. We are always claiming that we want to be more like Jesus. We have proclaimed with strong words from our mouth that originated from our hearts, attesting to the fact that we want to be faithful followers of Christ. Well, look at Jesus in the text above and see what Jesus did. Jesus looked up! Jesus lifted up His head and saw Zaccheus! Jesus saw a person in a bad occupation, with a bad reputation, in the tree; a person who needed a change of lifestyle, one that He could bring about. Look at Jesus. He interacts with Zaccheus and this interaction changes Zaccheus’ mindset and his plans for life. Zaccheus declared that he intended to change his ways, as indicated by his pledge in the last part of our opening Scripture.
I have given you something to think about on this Saturday morning. Look! Your church tee-shirt is not enough! The cross around your neck or any other accessories are not enough! The license plate holder with a Bible verse on it, that’s not enough either. We need to interact with others, especially the “Zaccheus Type”, as soul winners and encouragers to the saved that seem to have lost their way and are on the stray. Think about this objectively. Change somebody’s life. Have a great day! Remember to go to church yourself tomorrow! Be blessed!
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” (Psalm 24:9 King James Version)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King