Chapter 19
This chapter begins with
one of my favorite Bible stories for little children. Oh, I loved the song when I was little and I
loved teaching it to kids. Zacchaeus was
a wee little man! Jesus was on his way
to Jerusalem and passed through Jericho. Some scholars believe that the only reason He went
through Jericho was to meet Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and he was a very rich man. He wanted to see Jesus, so he climbed a tree,
so Jesus would also see him! When Jesus
saw him He told him to get down because He was going home with him. The end of that story finds Zacchaeus
admitting to his sins and Jesus proclaiming his
salvation. Zacchaeus gave money back to the poor,
fourfold. Laws required that somebody
who had stolen money would have to pay the amount stolen back … plus 20%. Zacchaeus did much more.
Jesus speaks in a parable
about a rich man who traveled a distance to another place to ‘accept his kingdom’ and gave his servants some
money to use while he was gone. When he
returned, having been given a kingdom, one of his servants had multiplied his
money ten times, so the new ruler gave him ten cities to govern. Another had multiplied his money five times,
so he was given five cities to govern. A
third hadn’t done anything with the money, so the rich man chastised him and
had him give his money to the one who had multiplied his ten times.
This same rich man had
rebellious citizens who hated him and said they wouldn’t be ruled by him. They were full of hate. So the new ruler had them slain. Life … being ruled by him or death. The meaning?
Follow Jesus and live forever.
As Jesus got closer to Jerusalem,
his followers thought they were going to see something magnificent. They though the Kingdom of God would mean
bright lights and bells and whistles.
Instead, Jesus tells them to go find a colt and bring it to him. A king entering his city would surely ride on
a stallion. Not Jesus. He rode into
Jerusalem on a humble donkey and the people cheered. They didn’t know what was ahead of Him, but
He did.
My takeaway from this
chapter could be a deep understanding of what Jesus expects from us, but it is
all about Zacchaeus and how magical that story is for little children. The hand motions are so much fun. It is so
easy for kids to identify with the wee little man … and the message of not
stealing and returning what doesn’t belong to us is easily taught! The song writer is unknown.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see
And when the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree
And said, 'Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I'm going to your house today!
For I'm going to your house today!'
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
But a happy man was he
For he had seen the Lord that day
And a happy man was he;
And a very happy man was he
Let’s Cook!
I think if Zacchaeus had
eaten his spinach, he might have been taller!
Follow this link for some spinach recipes. It really is good for you! Spinach!
