u/Zealousideal_Cod2324

Hey you all. I realize that the people in life I think I’m gonna have the most conflict with truly aren’t conflicted with me. For starters, I’m a loner and introvert. I work out everyday and usually very intensely in a way that does intimidate folks. (I.e. I might do 500 or more pushups/burpees/squats in less than 25 minutes for fun) I’m highly observant (possibly hyper-observant) and socially I am not the most talkative person. I do have more knowledge on stuff because I am a deep thinker; I have the ISTJ personality; and I tend to keep to myself and am logical in all that I do.

And for the folks who’ve been caught up in criminal activity or are actively engaged in it, they look at me as weird. For me, there’s no reason for me to commit crime and the ones looking at me like I’m law enforcement need not to worry. They also tend to keep me at a distance and I don’t come off as someone they’d want in their corner. Meanwhile the folks who crack or have cracked under social pressure sometimes have and do fall victim to criminality. I don’t. I follow the bible’s scripture of 1 Thessalonians 5:22 and stay away from every kind of evil.

Can someone provide feedback please?

Luke 19 Verses 1 - 10
V1 – KJV - And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
AMP - Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world…near the Jordan Valley
It’s the first city conquered by the Israelites (Josh 6)
They marched around the walls of this city (IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD) with the Ark of the Covenant, seven priests walked ahead of the Ark carrying a ram’s horn. On the 7th day they marched around Jericho 7 times and blew the horn
Joshua commanded them to not shout or talk until he told them to
On the 7th day the Israelites marched around 7 times, the priests blew their horns and the people shouted because the Lord had given them Jericho
Jericho and everything in it was destroyed as an offering to the Lord...except Rahab the prostitute who was spared for protecting the spies Joshua had sent previously
When Jericho was destroyed, nothing and no one was spared
In modern times…some folks will spare women and children in warfare or militaristic operations….not Joshua….V. 18 was pretty clear when Joshua said, ‘“Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel’
And in V. 21 they completely destroyed everything in it with their swords…men, women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys
The point is, Jericho had significance. The city was promised to the Israelites but some ‘cleansing’ had to be done prior. The people and everything in it were set for destruction. While some people might feel certain folks should be spared, this isn’t true. Warfare is ugly and if you’re destined for divine destruction, then so be it. Joshua understood this and that’s why the Israelites at that time, who were more obedient to him than they were to Moses, followed instruction without failing
Additionally, they were marching with the Ark of the Covenant in the presence of the Lord. You’d not wanna disobey and rebel against the Lord himself and suffer.
Remember, 1 Samuel 15:22-23says, ‘What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”
In this situation with Saul he, like Joshua, was embattled with another enemy of Israel (the Amalekites) and was instructed to completely destroy them in entirety (same types of people and animals that Joshua and the Israelites destroyed). They slaughtered the their enemy, the Amalekites, but spared Agag, the Amalekite King and kept the livestock. Saul disobeyed YHWH out of fear of the people and their demands. As a result the Kingdom of Israel was taken from Saul and Samuel killed Agag before the Lord to finish what Saul didn’t
Overall Saul was disobedient for not doing as the Lord instructed via Samuel (this time and other times) and the Lord’s presence left Saul…Joshua was obedient in the Jericho situation and as V. 27 said, the Lord was with him and his reputation spread throughout the land…Saul could’ve learned from Joshua about being obedient to the Lord, especially in battle
Side note, Jericho was rebuilt by Hiel of Bethel at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram’s life….Joshua 6:26 said, ‘May the curse of the LORD fall on anyone who tries to rebuild the town of Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son, he will lay its foundation. At the cost of his youngest son, he will set up its gates.”…so I guess that curse Joshua laid on Jericho played out on Hiel and his son Abiram…smh
This is a brief history of Jericho…and this was where Jesus was passing through for this mission
V2 – KJV - And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
AMP - And there was a man called Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector [a superintendent to whom others reported], and he was rich.
Zacchaeus means innocent in Hebrew
Ironic because he was a tax collector (hated profession by Jews and others) and innocence wasn’t associated with that profession…yes Zacchaeus, the namely innocent tax collector…lol
Tax collectors were hated because they worked for the Roman empire and were known for extorting people
It’s similar to some tax collection agencies today…hated by citizens and extortion sometimes is practiced
Any tax collecting organization who engages in immoral practices in their duties is prone to being despised…the Mafia; the Cartels; prison gangs; street gangs; the IRS, the list goes on…this is similar to how tax collectors for the Roman empire were viewed in ancient times
V.3…KJV: And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
AMP: Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, but he could not see because of the crowd, for he was short in stature
Basically he was short
Imagine a crowd of folks and you’re trying to see what’s happening but are obscured
This was Zacchaeus
In some ways his desire to seek Jesus matched Jeremiah 29:13 where it says, ‘And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.’
So despite being short, he didn’t let that stop him from literally seeking to seek Jesus
In comparison to some people nowadays who have limit and restrict themselves when it comes to the faith…they’ll let some things like a broken but fixable car; time mismanagement; rough work day; a different version of the Bible; different ethnic group of the congregation; and more obstruct their seeking Jesus
Jesus has been prophesied about since the Beginning of time. He arrives and fulfilled every prophesy and folks were drawing near to him without letting anything hinder them
This woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5 didn’t let her sanguine condition hinder her
Jairus (in the same chapter) didn’t let his daughters terminality hinder him from seeking Jesus for his daughter being eventually resurrected
All in all, don’t let anything hinder you from Jesus
V.4…KJV…And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
AMP: So he ran on ahead [of the crowd] and climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way
Again he didn’t allow anything to hinder him from seeing Jesus, who was passing through
Sycamore trees had lower branches and were easier to climb
Sometimes folks cross paths for God’s will to further
This was one of those times
Additionally, wealthy types literally running for the reason that Zacchaeus did was uncommon. It was undignifying. But this man was seeking the Lord.
How undignified does our life and livelihood have to be for us to seek Jesus?
V.5..KJV: And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
AMP: When Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
 
Just to reiterate, Jesus came to Jericho
As previously mentioned, it historically was destroyed and conquered in Joshua 6
By the time of Jesus, it was a prosperous trade area known for palm trees and balsam groves
In a way, the prosperity and palm trees somewhat looked like Miami, FL or Los Angeles before its modern wreckage
By Jesus looking up, it signifies that despite the crowd around him, he still managed to look up at Zacchaeus, who due to his short stature was in a tree trying to seek Jesus
Jesus also epitomized some of Psalms 139:1 in the way he searched and knew Zacchaeus
By calling on Zacchaeus by name, Jesus embodies John 10:3 because he calls his sheep by name and leads them out…he called Zacchaeus by name, instead of by his profession, stature or anything else associated with him
Jesus does the same with us. The world might call us by our duty title, gender, something derogatory or anything else. As his sheep, he calls us by name, indicating a personal connection with him
Jesus commanding Zacchaeus to come down quickly means this is immediate
It’s also a reverse of action on the Lord’s part. Throughout Psalms David (Lord Servant) would call on the Lord for help quickly. In a change of things, the Lord is asking for immediacy to his servant…so to speak
Staying at Zacchaeus’ home was uncommon.
Due to Zacchaeus being a tax collector, he was clearly wealthy. At that time in ancient Judea, and still to this date, some wealthy folks didn’t associate, socialize or show hospitality to those outside of their economic stature
This broke the cultural norms however
V.6…KJV: And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
AMP: So Zaccheus hurried and came down, and welcomed Jesus with joy.
Zacchaeus embodied what some modern military circles call a sense of urgency to see Jesus
He sought a deep desire for transformation, somewhat echoing Romans 12:2, with Jesus despite his occupation and stature
We should seek transformation with Jesus the same way no matter our occupation or stature or standing with others
Welcoming Jesus joyfully is what we’re to do
1 Thess 5:16 says always be joyful…he clearly was with Jesus
V.7…KJV: And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
AMP: When the people saw it, they all began muttering [in discontent], “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a [notorious] sinner.”
clearly the outward appearance of Zacchaeus had folks seeing him as a sinner because of his profession…Jesus didn’t see him that way and instead focused on his ‘heart’ in alignment with 1 Samuel 16:7
The crowd clearly was upset at who Jesus chose to associate with…we’re in no position to be dictating who our Lord and Savior deals with…Just to remind us, Romans 3:9-10 says all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin and as the scripture say, no one is righteous—not even one…and Verse 23 says everyone has sinned, we all fall short of God’s glorious standard…so we unrighteous, sinful, perpetually imperfect beings created in his image who need to seek him daily and die to our flesh are in ABSOLUTELY no position to tell the one righteous, sinless, perpetually perfect One who he should be a guest of or anything else for that matter
Prov 14:12 says There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death. In the same way, there’s a way the world sees Jesus that seems right to man and appears straight before him, but its end is also death
That Death manifests in the death of transformation, salvation, redemption, joy, etc…. In comparison ‘life’ would’ve had folks seeking Jesus for that way which is right…like Zacchaeus did
Plus limiting who Jesus could associate with aligns with how the enemy operates in John 10:10.
In the same way as Satan, they would’ve killed, stolen and destroyed what Zacchaeus eventually got and what other seekers of Jesus receive
And the murmuring from the Israelites mirrors the murmuring of the Israelites in Exodus 16:2 when they disobeyed Moses and Aaron
In both issues there was discontentment towards the Man of God when provision was being distributed…in Exodus it was manna and in Luke the provision was Zacchaeus seeking Jesus
Clearly they didn’t see the error of their ways but again, the way that seems right to a man leads to death, like Prov 14:12 says
V.8…KJV: And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold
AMP: Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much.
Zacchaeus stood up, public declaration in action
His offer to give half of his possessions to the poor was very repentance based and aligned with Jesus’ command in Matt 19:21 to go and sell what one has and give to the poor…Zacchaeus did just that
It was extraordinary and uncommon, especially for tax collectors who were known for extortion and taking a higher cut of what they demanded
Plus back in the day, 20% was the percentage for legal restitution for extortion…so giving away half of his possessions was a high offer
The fourfold exceeded what was required under Mosaic law and Roman custom back then
Fourfold restitution was highlighted in Exodus 22:1 regarding the theft of sheep..i.e. if you steal a sheep you pay that theft back with four sheep and reiterated in 2 Samuel 12:4-6 regarding a story Nathan told David of a rich man who killed a poor man’s lamb for a guest….this infuriated David and hs vowed that this man should die and repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and had no pity of
Leviticus 6 entails guilt offerings and percentages associated with that for things like finding stolen property, lying under oath, security deposit fraud, extortion, etc…paying back what’s owed plus 20% was the financial penalty in verse 5….Zacchaeus said he’d pay four fold which clearly exceeded the Mosaic penalty
So if you have someone willing to pay financially for any wrongdoing, and they’ll pay a higher price, I’d consider them truthful as long as they honor their commitment
In modern times we have folks unwilling to pay the price for minor offenses…in comparison, this rich tax collector in Ancient Judea who sought Jesus was willing to pay way more than was legally required by Mosaic standards but in alignment with what was customary under Roman law and Jesus commanded in Matt 19:21
V.9…KJV: And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
AMP: Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he, too, is a [spiritual] son of Abraham;
 
The idea of ‘today’ indicates immediacy as well like the previous actions
The idea of his actions affecting his household somewhat ties to Matthew 10
In that chapter Jesus sends his disciples to do his work…he tells them who to initially save (lost Jews before Gentiles and Samaritans); to heal the sick, cast out demons, etc… he also gives out instructions on how to conduct oneself regarding households… and he basically says that if a household is worthy, to give it your blessing. And if it’s not worthy to take that Blessing back..
Verses 14-15 says If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day
So in Zacchaeus’ place, he proved himself to be ‘worthy’ when encountering Jesus, and that blessing essentially was bestowed upon him extended to he and his household and he wouldn’t suffer the wrath like those who were unworthy in their unwelcoming of Jesus and his disciples
He being a son of Abraham aligns with Gal 3:7 in the sense that he put his faith in God so he is a child of Abraham scripturally
V.10…KJV: For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost
AMP: for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Son of man is mentioned multiple times in the Bible, especially in Ezekiel
Ezekiel 34, for example, had the Son of Man prophesying against the Shepherds/leaders of Israel for various sins including, but not limited to, their neglect of the sheep (I.e. people of Israel), harshly ruling them and not searching for those who wandered and became lost
As a result, they were going to receive their due punishment for what they did…
verse 11 entails the good Shepherd coming in searching for and finding the lost sheep and essentially taking care of them… which is what Jesus accomplished in this chapter of Luke chapter 19
he went through Jericho and found a lost sheep as prophesied in Ezekiel 34
 
FINAL THOUGHT: I mentioned Matthew 10 earlier and the household instructions Jesus gave to the disciples. In other ways, Jesus’ executed verses 11 – 13 by entering the town, searching for a worthy person, staying at their home until he left…he gave it his greeting, determined its worthiness and let his peace come upon it…In our endeavor to win souls like Proverbs 11:30 says, we gotta be wise in how we assess how worthy someone is and not be prideful. If they’re accepting, atoning and willing to compensate for any wrong doing despite their stature in any condition, lets accept what they’re willing to do to let their soul be won, their livelihood to be saved, and for us followers to continually die to our flesh daily and examine ourselves to see if our faith is genuine like 2 Corinthians 13:5 says