Welcome Christ In Your Heart And Homes — The Lord, who already welcomed Zacchaeus in his heart was now ready to be welcomed by him in his house. He said, “Zacchaeus, hurry up and come down, since I have to stay in your house.”
Zacchaeus thought it was a marvelous piece of good luck to see Christ. While imagining it was a marvelous piece ofgood luck quite beyond words to see him passing by, he was suddenly found worthy to have him in his house. Grace is poured out, and faith starts working through love.
Christ, who was already dwelling in Zacchaeus’s heart, is welcomed into his house.
Zacchaeus says to Christ, “Lord, half my goods I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times over.” It is as if he were saying, “The reason I am keeping back half for myself is not in order to have it, but to have something from which to pay people back.”
There you are. That is really what welcoming Jesus means, welcoming him into your heart. Christ was already there. He was in Zacchaeus and spoke through him. The apostle says this is what it means “For Christ to dwell by faith in your hearts” (Eph 3:17)
Courtesy of Holy Myrrh-Bearers Church of Swarthmore.
