Luke 19:5-7
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
In a playbill, you will see a cast of characters, which is helpful because it will often have some backstory that develops their character. What a cast of characters we have here! We have the Lord Jesus Christ with no place to stay. There is Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector, obviously the villain of the piece… or so we think. Enter, the people. They saw Jesus being hosted by a tax collector and they all grumbled about Jesus hanging out with sinners. The Pharisees had just learned that lesson in chapter 15, that Jesus came to save the lost. Their negative influence was now visible in their flock.
That is the effect of grumbling and a negative attitude in church leadership. If the people see a cynical leadership that looks down on people they consider beneath them, the commands of Jesus are in peril in that church or organization. The people will not love one another as Jesus commands in John 13. They will not love their neighbor, commanded in Matthew 22. They will not make disciples of all nations because they are not fond of the nations and their “bad characters”. It’s time we receive the Lord gladly and then we will accept others.
O Heavenly Father, thank you that you accept us because of the blood of your Son. May we receive this grace and pass it on. In Jesus’ name. Amen.