Be Righteous
Have you ever met a famous person who you really admired? Maybe you got starstruck and said something dumb. Have you ever wondered what would happen if that person showed up at your house?
There’s a story in the Bible about a guy named Zacchaeus who wanted to see Jesus. By this time in Jesus’ life, he was famous. He was constantly surrounded by crowds, and Zacchaeus wanted to see him. Unfortunately, Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus for two reasons. First, he was a sinner. Zacchaeus was a tax collector. To the Hebrew people, tax collectors were seen as the worst kind of sinner. How could a tax collector get close to a religious leader like Jesus? The second reason Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus was his height. Zacchaeus was noticeably short, and Jesus’ disciples didn’t have any cameras or giant LED screens handy. That’s why Zacchaeus decided to climb a tree.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
This sinner shouldn’t even be allowed near Jesus, yet Jesus went to his house! Zacchaeus recognized the amazing power and value in what Jesus was teaching. It seems that everyone else was just there because it was the most interesting place to be. Jesus was surrounded by people who were jumping on the religious bandwagon, but Zacchaeus recognized that there was more to what Jesus was teaching than just religious talk.
That’s why people got mad at Jesus. They didn’t understand that Jesus had come to turn the religious system on its head. Jesus recognized Zacchaeus’ faith and that Zacchaeus had actually heard his teaching and believed. Because Zacchaeus’ believed, God counted him as righteous. The religious system of Jesus’ day ascribed righteousness to people who behaved, but Jesus ascribed righteousness to people who believed.
For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
To this day, our sinful nature attempts to earn righteousness, but that is an impossible task. We judge people by comparing them to our own goodness, but that’s not how judges are meant to make judgements. Judges compare actions to the law, not to their own behavior. When a standard or a law is created, all actions that fail to meet that standard are judged as indictable. The standard that we are commanded to meet is perfection. We are commanded to be like Jesus, and Jesus is perfect.
You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Jesus didn’t go to Zacchaeus’ house because Zacchaeus was righteous. Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house because Jesus was righteous, and Jesus’ righteousness was given to Zacchaeus when Zacchaeus put his faith in Jesus.
Does Christ’s gift of righteousness mean good behavior is unnecessary or meaningless? No. In fact, when Jesus gives his righteousness to us, the Holy Spirit comes with that righteousness. The gift of God’s grace cleanses us of unrighteousness and makes us worthy to become the temple of the Holy Spirit. When this happens, God’s spirit lives in us and changes us. If we are not being changed, if we are not growing in faith and spiritual maturity, God’s spirit does not live in us.
A relationship with Jesus will change us like it changed Zacchaeus. When Zacchaeus put his faith in Jesus, Zacchaeus was radically and rapidly changed.
Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Zacchaeus was a true son of Abraham because he had faith like Abraham, and that faith brought salvation to Zacchaeus. Before he had a relationship with Jesus, Zacchaeus was lost. When he believed the old religious lies that his sinful behavior disqualified him from a relationship with God, Zacchaeus was a slave to his sinful desires. When Jesus came to his home, Jesus brought sanctifying righteousness with him.
Never expect someone to clean up their life before they begin a relationship with God. That kind of judgement will only lead people to legalism and self-righteousness.
Recently, protestors who call themselves Christians, but act like Pharisees, have shown up on Sunday mornings outside our church with signs and megaphones to condemn our members. They say we allow too many sinners to attend our services. They say we should add more sins to our list and hierarchy of publicly condemned sins.
Instead, our strategy is to schedule encounters between Jesus and sinful people because we believe that a relationship with Jesus changes everything, every time.
It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
God might not change people on our timeline or according to our priorities, but salvation is assured. He saves us from eternal punishment, and He saves us from the bondage that our sin creates. He who calls you is faithful. Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost, not to congratulate the self-righteous.
