Authorities and Law of Love
We can often forget that just because we disagree with authority on numerous laws and bills and taxes, that doesn't mean that we can just do what we want, especially as Christ followers. Even Jesus paid taxes (Matthew 22:15-22) and wanted others to pay their taxes as well. Through Romans 13:1-7, we are not to be anarchists and oppose all law and submit to our own authority. God wants us to submit to the authority that is in place. We are to oppose authority if they require us to do something that is outside of God's law. We are to pay whatever is owed to someone whether it is taxes, revenue, respect or honor.
One law we should always abide by is the law of love. Paul writes us in Romans 13:8 "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." If you look at the commandments and you love God then you are loving to others which fulfill the other commandments. It isn't about rules and regulations. It is about love for God and love for people, whether you like them or not.
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Jesus and Zacchaeus
Zacchaeus may not be a name that you have heard of before. He isn't Moses, Abraham or John the Baptist, but we can definitely learn from him in verses 1-10.
Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector and was rich. In verse 3 it states, "And he was seeking to see who Jesus was." That statement alone shows how Zacchaeus' desire was to seek Jesus. Seeking takes effort on your own. In verse 4 he ran up in a tree so he could see Jesus since Zacchaeus was too short to see him as he passed. That verse also shows Zacchaeus'desire to seek and then to go above and beyond to ensure that he could see Jesus.
Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree and said that he must stay at Zacchaeus' home. Jesus saw Zacchaeus' effort and knew who Zacchaeus was. He was humbled by this and seeing how Jesus accepted him he said "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold."
He could have just accepted Jesus and not wanted to repay for the wrongs he had done as tax collectors were known to cheat people. Zacchaeus turned his life around and did not hang on to the selfishness that separated him from Jesus. We can do the same. We can be freed from who we were and seek Jesus and receive his salvation.
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Matthew 21:31 "...
Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you." commentary- Once again we talk about what is fair and what is not. Jesus tells a parable of two sons. One is told to go work in the vineyard and he said no initially and then later changed his mind and went and did as he was told. The second son was told to go work in the vineyard and said he would, but did not.
Even though the first son initially denied his fathers orders, he later changed his mind and did as he was instructed. Isn't this just like those who initially are told by God what to do, and how to live, say no, but then later become obedient to God's word? Even for those of us who have already accepted Christ as our personal Lord and Savior can still be disobedient, but we can a;lways make the choice to go back to doing what God wanted us to.
For those of us who say we will follow God's word and seek to be obedient and then do not, then we have lost our way. We become the second son who says he will obey but then does not.
On a personal note, we sell ourselves out for so many things from sports, to understanding money and investing to gossip columns to food (foodies), but do we sell out for God? Do we really commit daily to Him as we do our routines? God isn't saying don't be dedicated to your work or your family, but He is saying "don't put that before me."
