Let Your Honor Overflow
(7 minutes)
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus had to pass through Jericho. There lived a very wealthy man named Zacchaeus, who supervised all the tax collectors. He was very eager to see Jesus and kept trying to get a look at him through the massive crowd. Since Zacchaeus was a short man and couldn't see over the heads of the people, he ran on ahead of everyone and climbed up a blossoming fig tree to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed by. When Jesus got to that place, he looked up into the tree and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry on down, for I must stay at your house today! So he scurried down the tree and found himself face-to-face with Jesus. As Jesus left to go with Zacchaeus many in the crowd complained, "Look at this! Of all the people to have dinner with, he's going to eat in the house of a crook." Zacchaeus was amazed over his gracious visit to his home and joyously welcomed Jesus. Zacchaeus stood in front of the Lord and said, "Half of all that I own I will give to the poor. And Lord, if I have cheated anyone, I promise to pay them back four times as much as I stole."
Jesus said to him, "Your repentance shows that today life has come to you and your household, and that you are a true son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to see out and to give life to those who are lost." (Luke 19:1-10)
Zacchaeus isn't displaying honor just by running ahead and climbing up the blossoming fig tree. Zacchaeus displays honors when he brings Jesus to his home. Can you see how Zacchaeus isn't settling for the casual pace of the crowd? Following Jesus at a distance isn't enough for Zacchaeus. He wants Jesus to come into his home and put things in order. And with this next degree of intimacy, comes Zacchaeus' next opportunity to honor. Zacchaeus doesn't have to be told what to do; he simply lets his heart overflow with gratitude. He uses what he has to match the value of the encounter he is having with Jesus. So Zacchaeus stood in front of Jesus and said, "Half of all that I own I will give to the poor. And Lord, if I have cheated anyone, I promise to pay them back four times as much as I stole."
Honor says, "This relationship is too valuable to me for it to cost me nothing." This is what Zacchaeus must have been thinking before he stood up and declared his intentions to Jesus. Like Pastor Tim told us on Sunday, Zacchaeus is giving us a template to have an appointment with Jesus by way of our honor.
Pastor Tim made this comment on Sunday: "A lot of times, even in our relationships and in our marriages, we only stare at what we don't have and we stop looking at the valuable-ness of it. We take it for granted."
This translates so well into our relationship with Abba. What are we staring at? And is what we are staring at producing honor in our lives? Are we responding to the presence of Jesus with honor? Or are we taking Him for granted?
Honor must be our compass in this Kingdom. Honor is how the Kingdom operates - it's the currency of Yahweh's government. It is the only way to go deeper into the encounters we're having with Jesus. Do you want more? Zacchaeus would tell you, "Honor him."
After Zacchaeus runs ahead of the crowd and climbs the fig tree, after he welcomes Jesus into his home, and after he expresses radical generosity Jesus makes a statement - a very important statement.
Jesus said to him, "Your repentance shows that today life has come to you and your household, and that you are a true son of Abraham." What shows us that Zacchaeus' thinking was transformed, that he experienced metanoia, or repentance? What shows us that life has come into Zacchaeus' home? Yes, his honor. His honor that overflowed into unrestrained and, some would even say, reckless generosity. What Zacchaeus had always seen as his identity, his wealth, became a tool with which he could honor the Lord. What he was once unwilling to part with, he was now overjoyed to give away. Why? Because he finally found something that was more valuable - a pair of eyes that looked at him unlike anyone ever had - with perfect love.
The Kingdom was established in Zacchaeus' life: intimacy, honor, and order. It unlocked a fiery fellowship and union with Jesus that not everyone had access to - not because Jesus wasn't willing, but because few people honored Jesus to the degree that would usher them into that place. You want to go deeper into any relationship? Honor. You want to go deeper into the encounters that you're having with Jesus? Honor.
Your honor can make you an appointment with the King.
Beloved One, the intimacy that you were designed for can only be found in Yahweh. The affection you long for can only be discovered in the light that surrounds Him. You have come this far already, and you are experiencing His presence like never before. Would you believe that there's even more than this available to you? You can go deeper still. This next level of intimacy with Him is locked up in your ability to honor the degree of intimacy that you already share. Stop staring at what you don't have and the places you have not reached, and get insanely grateful for the intimacy that has already been produced between you and Him. Your honor for what is will be the gateway that ushers you into what is to come!
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Worship: "We Make Space" by Melissa Helser
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!
