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Zacchaeus who was saved by meeting Jesus
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2
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[Luke
19:8]
But Zacchaeus
stood up and said to the Lord,
"Look,
Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor,
and
if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the
amount."
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3
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There was a man named Zacchaeus in
Jericho. This man's job was a chief tax collector.
This man was a very rich man.
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4
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The Jews very much despised and
disliked those who had a job as a tax collector.
Judas was under Roman rule at the
time. The tax collectors have done the same thing as collecting the taxes of the people
of Judah and giving them to the Roman Empire.
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5
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The Jews and Pharisees thought that
tax collectors were a class that could never be saved.
In particular, Zacchaeus, the chief of
tax collectors, was no exception to these glares and neglect. Zacchaeus had a lot of
money but his heart was not happy.
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6
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Then one day Jesus came to Jericho
where Zacchaeus lives. As the news of Jesus came, many people gathered and walked with
Jesus.
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7
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Zacchaeus also wondered what Jesus was
like. So he went to a place
where people gathered to meet Jesus.
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8
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But Zacchaeus could not see Jesus.
Because Zacchaeus was a man of little height.
Zacchaeus, who wanted to see Jesus,
found a big tree in the distance and
came up with an idea.
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9
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Zacchaeus ran ahead of Jesus.
Then he climbed up a big tree and was
waiting for Jesus to come.
As Zacchaeus thought, Jesus was coming
toward it.
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10
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Zacchaeus was looking at Jesus on the
tree. Passing under the tree, Jesus stopped there.
And Jesus looked up at the place where
Zacchaeus was.
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11
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And he said: "Zacchaeus, come on
down. I will stay in your house today."
Zacchaeus, who heard the words of
Jesus, was impressed by Jesus who knew his name.
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12
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Zacchaeus joyfully invited Jesus into
his home. The Jews began to whisper when they saw Jesus coming into the house
of the tax collector who hated that they were sinners.
"That teacher went in to stay at
the house of the sinner."
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13
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Zacchaeus, who invited Jesus, stood
and said to Jesus,
"Lord, I will give half of my
wealth for the poor.
And if I have deceived others, I will
pay them in four times."
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14
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After meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus became
completely different.
When Jesus saw Zacchaeus' changed
personality, he said to Zacchaeus:
"Today salvation came to this
house. This man is also a descendant of Abraham. I have come to this earth to seek and
save the lost."
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15
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Jesus declared Zacchaeus, the tax
collector, to be saved.
Zacchaeus received a gift of great joy
directly to Jesus. He has received the grace of salvation, which is
incomparable to all that he has, directly to Jesus.
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16
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Jesus declared through Zacchaeus that
everyone is the object of salvation.
Zacchaeus showed that faith in Jesus
did not discriminate people.
Salvation has revealed to us all who
gather there that it is grace that anyone can receive.
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17
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The
gift of salvation that is granted to us because we believe in Jesus is the
most valuable thing in this world. It is a value that cannot be compared with
the money of this world.
No matter what our circumstances are,
we should all be faithful people who will give thanks to God for giving us the grace
of salvation and willing to give
what we have for our neighbors like
Zacchaeus.
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(This
is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the
conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)
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