Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
HOPE is a wonderful word, isn’t it? Events or People who bring HOPE are welcome in any situation, anyplace in the world, would you agree? REBUILD or RENEW are words of HOPE whether applied to a life, a relationship, an old building or even a city in decay, do you agree with that? Here’s a powerful verse from God’s Word that declares HOPE: “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” (Is.61:4) Who is the “THEY“ and where are these devastated places, these ruined cities?
The “THEY” are normal people whose lives have been radically changed by the power of God as they have trusted God to save them from the devastation of sin in their lives and the Holy Spirit of God is doing His radical transformation work in them. Then guided by the Spirit of God these empowered people bring the HOPE, the HOPE of God to any person, any relationship, any city needing God’s help and hope! Now ponder that for a moment and ask yourself if you see evidence of that in your life, your family, your city?
Yesterday I left you watching the rebuild of an ancient city, Jericho. The man leading the rebuild was Mr. Hiel from the city of Bethel, a city where Jacob TWICE had powerful, hope filled, life changing, encounters with God. I know nothing more about Mr. Hiel or his background, his personal life, his regard for the history of Bethel or his relationship with God. I assume Hiel knew about Joshua’s warning issued 500 years earlier when Jericho was destroyed by Joshua and the Israelites first moving into this land of God’s Promise. Perhaps Hiel was hoping a rebuilt Jericho could be a city of HOPE rather than a city of wickedness.
However, I doubt it. Why? Because as we discovered yesterday, Hiel of Bethel moved away from his city of HOPE, a very few miles to Jericho to begin his rebuild of Jericho’s ruins during the very wicked time of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who reigned in the northern kingdom of Israel. The record of 1 Kings makes no mention of the fact that at this very same time God’s hand of great blessing was upon King Jehoshaphat of the southern kingdom Judah which is where Jericho is located.
Sadly, it appears Hiel was successful in completing the rebuild of the wicked city of Jericho even though Joshua’s warning was fulfilled as both Hiel’s eldest and youngest sons died in the process of rebuilding Jericho. Oh, the heavy price often paid when we disregard God’s warnings and do things that advance wickedness rather than raise up HOPE found in God! Little more is mentioned of Jericho in the Old Testament, but did you know that in the New Testament Jesus Christ visited Jericho and at least two people, both named, had encounters with Jesus during that visit which changed their lives? So today, let’s do some time travel.
We begin by watching Joshua proclaim his warning over the smoldering ruins of Jericho in about 1400bc. Then we watch Mr. Hiel come to that very same spot about 870bc to begin his rebuild of Jericho. Then about 25ad let’s watch as Jesus and His disciples come walking into the city of Jericho during the Roman Empire era!
Dr. Luke tells us a wealthy, chief tax collector named Zacchaeus was in Jericho and he evidently had heard enough about Jesus that Zacchaeus wanted to see him. So much so that he climbed up into a tree for a good view, and as the crowd walking with Jesus approached, suddenly he stopped, and Jesus looked up into the tree and called Zacchaeus by name! “Zacchaeus, come down. I must stay at your house today!” (Luke 19:5)
Perhaps Jesus said more, but that’s all Luke tells us. Because Zacchaeus was so well known and we presume hated because of his deceitful profession of collecting taxes and cheating the people as he did so, we can well imagine the crowd laughing and mocking this wealthy tax collector up in a tree like a stranded cat.
Perhaps the people thought Jesus was going to go to Zaccheaus’ home for a private discussion in which Zaccheaus would be judged and set straight. But I’d like us to consider that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and He had told His disciples that this would be the end of the road for Him. Jesus had said these unbelievable words: “We are going to Jerusalem and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him, insult Him, spit on Him, flog Him and KILL Him! On the third day He will rise again from the dead.’ But the disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what Jesus was talking about.” (Luke 18:31-34) Of course we have the advantage of knowing history and that Jesus was predicting His atonement death and resurrection on that Passover/Easter weekend which changed the world and brought the HOPE of Salvation from sin condemnation to any person, anywhere in the world, including Jericho!
Rather than judgment, Zacchaeus, a wealthy, chief tax collector, experienced the forgiving power of Jesus and Zaccheaus was so dramatically changed by their encounter that he made this bold proclamation to the people of Jericho: “Lord, Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8) Now friends, can you imagine the HOPE that statement brought to the people of this city Jericho where tax collector Zacchaeus had cheated so many people? Jesus responded with these words: “Today salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:19,20)
Jesus was clarifying that even though Zacchaeus had turned his back on his people and his Jewish heritage by becoming a puppet of the Roman government as a tax collector, the transforming work of Jesus had restored Zacchaeus to an honorable place of forgiven as a repentant sinner. And Jesus was using Zacchaeus as an example of WHY Jesus had come from heaven to earth to save and restore those who were living ruined lives.
Amazingly the story doesn’t end there, for Mark’s Gospel tells us about a blind man who was sitting by the side of the road and as Mark 10:46-52 tells us “As Jesus and His disciple, together with a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind man, Bartimaeus was begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth in the crowd, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many people rebuked the beggar and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more. ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46-48) Look at him, this old beggar in rags, sitting in the dirt by the road, and many people trying to shut him up so he doesn’t interfere with this procession thanking Jesus for visiting their town of Jericho.
But look, Jesus stopped and raised His hand asking for quiet. He’s listening and then He heard it again, the voice of the beggar. Jesus smiled and simply said “Call him!” And the record says: “So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! Get on your feet! He is calling you!’ Throwing his cloak aside, the blind man jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.” (Mark 10:49,50) Now all of a sudden many of those who were rebuking blind beggar Bartimaeus a moment ago are slapping him on the back and helping him through the crowd to Jesus!
Lean into the crowd my friends, listen carefully to what this blind man and Jesus say to each other in this moment of HOPE! “Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man replied “Rabbi, I want to see.” Look at the people staring at Jesus and this beggar, many of them holding their breath, waiting to see what Jesus will say or do. Jesus didn’t hesitate: “Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” (Mark 10:51,52) Bartimaeus can see, perhaps for the first time in his life, he can see! Of course, he threw his arms around Jesus thanking him, tears flowing from those healed eyes. Look at the people dancing and shouting and celebrating! Two men, both of whom lived in darkness in Jericho. One the darkness of blind eyes, the other the darkness of a greedy, dishonest heart. Both have found new life in their encounter with Jesus in one of the darkest places in the world… Jericho!
It’s a picture my friends of the desperate love of God willing to reach to any person, any place, living in any bondage, to offer them HOPE and deliverance in Jesus! Today God looks at modern Jericho, as He looks at your city and mine, inviting us, ALL of us, to hear Jesus calling us to HIM and experience the HOPE both Zacchaeus and Bartimaeus experienced in their encounter with Jesus. Is this your day for a fresh, life changing encounter with Jesus my friend? Here’s a song that fits perfectly, right now…
Today’s Scriptures are Luke 18,19; Mark 10.
Choose below to read or listen.
Luke 18
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Luke 19
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Mark 10
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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