A Zacchaeus moment

The Rev Ruth Kennedy reflects on a familiar New Testament story and considers the message for digital ministries.

ZACCHAEUS.

This is such a great name! For some of us, it will immediately bring to mind a ‘wee man up a tree’ who Jesus spoke to saying ‘I’m coming to your house for tea’. A brilliant exemplary story of a person mistrusted, despised by their religious community as a chief tax collector, encountering Jesus.

Jesus the Jew, from that same religious community who then demonstrated righteous living in front of everyone and engaged with the one rejected (or above!) the crowd.

Luke 10: 5 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.” (The Message)

Jesus frequently stopped for the individual, engaging with them, healing, restoring them. And a wonderful aspect of Easter is the pure and absolute focus we have on Jesus Christ during this season of Church life. The One who stopped for the one person. Jesus stopped in the street of Jericho for Zacchaeus and He stopped on the cross for us.

When Jesus stopped, that wasn’t the end. There was a conversation, a meal, a total transformation in the life of Zacchaeus; from a crook to ‘I give away half my income to the poor’, he was found and restored to the family of God. Christ calls this salvation. The stopping led to a life-changing, lifegiving encounter.

“ When we sense God calling our name, finding us and restoring us to the family of God through our faith in the Messiah who is Christ?

Does this sound familiar? A life changing encounter with Jesus?

When we sense God calling our name, finding us and restoring us to the family of God through our faith in the Messiah who is Christ? When Christ died, stopped on the cross, it wasn’t the end. The resurrection isn’t the end either!

Anytime Jesus stops for a person there follows a conversation which brings the love and goodness of God to that person and community. To us.

We do likewise. Our ‘stop’ isn’t the end but the start of an engagement that releases the compassion and kindness of God when we are intentional and aware of what Jesus did and do the same. This helps us develop and deepen our digital ministries as we positively engage with those who comment or share our posts or materials with the purpose of sharing the love and goodness of God.

Stopping for one person, stopping the scroll and responding with this transformational power of God, online or in-person, might just be their Zacchaeus moment! A moment that brings new life in Jesus with the certainty of the eternal love of God and transforms the world.

Thank you for stopping at the Zacchaeus stop, I hope it has been a blessing to you! 

The Rev Ruth Kennedy is Digital Ministries Advisor for the Church of Scotland and minister with Sanctuary First.