An Invitation to Read: "Restoration"

Remorse - regret for the things we have done or what we should have done. The moment when the reality and the penalty for our actions hit home.

If you have ever been lost in the abyss of remorse, you understand the importance of the word "restore" - restoration of balance, of clarity, and perhaps forgiveness. But the haunting reminder of "what I should have done" and the realization that there are no "go-backs" in the real world can often block the path of restoration.

As children, we sang the song of Zacchaeus—he was a "wee little man" who climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus as He passed by. He had heard rumors of the new prophet and perhaps followed the crowds out of curiosity to find out for himself. Being a man of small stature, he realized that his opportunity to see Jesus would be blocked. And as the song says, "he climbed up in a sycamore tree"—high enough to see, far enough to be uninvolved. When Jesus called him out of the tree, it was the beginning of restoration for Zacchaeus. Despised by his countrymen for his association with the Romans and his thievery as a tax collector, what began as an act of curiosity was used by God to bring Zacchaeus to redemption.

Restoration is personal. Jesus called Zacchaeus by name. He went to his home and shared a meal. Jesus knew his sins and his shortcomings, yet he called him a “son of Abraham,” for the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.

Restoration leads to action, to a change in behavior. Zacchaeus vowed to give half his possessions to the poor and, if he had cheated anyone, to repay them four times the amount taken.

There is no other mention of Zacchaeus in the Bible. Whether he made good on his promise of reimbursement is unknown in the scripture. But Jesus says that salvation had come to Zacchaeus’ house because “the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.”

Join us in the next weeks as we discuss the power of restoration.