An Audience with Jesus

The contrast in attitude between two people can be striking. In Luke 18:18-30, there's a story about a rich young ruler. He came looking for an audience with Jesus. I think he must have been somewhat pricked of conscience. He sought eternal life, and confessed his obedience to God's commandments. Then He was challenged to sell what he had and give to the poor. This was a man who was doing his best to live a godly life. The commandments he had kept "since I was a boy." As far as his actions went, you would imagine a person who was respected. I imagine that the riches he had he had earned fairly. Yet when it came down to it, those earned riches were too hard to give up.

Then there's another man. He's in Luke 19:1-10. He was also rich, but not in the same way. He was a tax collector and a cheat. He defied the saying, "Cheaters never prosper," because he seemed to be prospering quite nicely on the backs of regular folk trying to make a decent living. He did not come looking for Jesus--the people wouldn't have let him in anyway. He waited to see Jesus, just get a glimpse, crawl up a tree and hope he wasn't noticed.

One man came wondering what else he had to do, as if what he'd done was great but not quite enough. He was confident in his commandment-keeping. Not so with Zacchaeus. He “... was beginning to realize how bitter are the fruits of sin, and how difficult the path of him who tries to return from a course of wrong. To be misunderstood, to be met with suspicion and distrust in the effort to correct his errors, was hard to bear. The chief publican longed to look upon the face of Him whose words had brought hope to his heart.” (Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, page 553).

Quite a contrast in attitudes. Quite a contrast in humility. And look at which one Jesus Himself approached! The man up a tree and out on a limb!

I think about where Jesus found me. I was a bit of a broken person, not because of any observable behavior, but simply because I had lost my way and my anchor point in life. He found me, an adrift college freshman studying in his dorm room one day. When a fellow student came in that day and wound up sharing Jesus with me, it was as if Jesus was looking up at me in a tree, just trying not to fall out! It hasn't been perfect since then, but I've never doubted that He has been dining with me every day since, even on those days I haven't seen Him there.

Where do you find yourself? Wondering what else you have to do? Thinking you've been doing what you're supposed to do? Friendless, helpless, up a tree, and out on a limb? Riddled with guilt over things you've done?

Either way, Jesus seeks you. Either way, you have His attention. Either way He says, "Make Me your everything. Make things right. I love you."

(Based on Luke 19:1-10. Check out http://carrollwoodchurch.com/2013/06/today-with-jesus-june-27-2013.html for a study guide one this).