April 25, 2020

Sometimes, as I read Scripture, I wonder about the mushroom effect Jesus’s ministry must have had.  I am reminded of John 21:25:

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.” HCSB

I guess the writer in me gets carried away sometimes because I think about the “second-hand” influence of the actions of Jesus.  Several months ago, a story idea implanted itself in my brain, and this week, I finally sat down and wrote it.  The purpose I had in mind while doing so was to be able to make us think about the ways that the Lord cares for people during difficult times.  He often uses others as His hands and feet.  It is encouraging to see all the ways people are reaching out to help each other in our current situation. 

I don’t usually share fiction as a part of my “Thought for the Day;” however, today is going to be different.  I hope that this story will do for you what it has for me; it has given me an inkling of just how far-reaching the ministry of Jesus spread.  His touch on people’s lives wouldn’t have stopped with the people that actually had contact with Him.  It is also a reminder that He is still touching lives today, including ours in the middle of this pandemic.

Second-hand Miracle

(Based on Luke 19:1-10)

Jacob sat with his head in his hands, fingers pressed tightly against his eyelids.  He was trying to suppress his tears, unwilling to let his children witness his despondency.  They would learn soon enough about the hopelessness of their situation. 

As he tried to pray to the only God he had ever known, the Holy One of Israel, Jacob’s emotions swung between praise and the question, “Why?”  After all, the family had experienced a wonderful blessing.  Jacob’s wife, Miriam, was finally on the road to health.  For the past few months, they had been living with the constant dread of losing her.

“Lord, I don’t understand this at all,” was Jacob’s silent statement to Jehovah.  “We were beginning to feel such hope, and Miriam is almost fully recovered.  However, our money is running out.  My job is gone, lost because I spent so much time searching for the right doctor that I neglected to show up for work too many times.  Now that she’s better, I have tried to find work, but there is none to be had.  How am I going to feed my family?  Our supplies will run out soon, and then we will go hungry.”

At that moment, Jacob’s oldest two children burst excitedly into the room.  “Papa, papa!” the eldest one cried, “We just saw a man in town named Jesus!  He was healing sick people!”

“Yes!” the second child declared, “I’ll bet if he had been here when Mama was so sick, he could have healed her!”

It was hard for Jacob to suppress the resentment he felt welling up inside of him.  “The miracles are always for someone else,” he thought, wondering, “when is it going to be our turn?”  He managed to listen to the animated conversation of his children, who were describing what they had witnessed that day.  Then he heard something that grabbed his full attention.

“We saw that little tax collector today.  You know, the one they call Zacchaeus.  He wanted to see Jesus so badly that he climbed up a tree.”

“Yeah, and Jesus saw him up in the branches and told him to come down.  He even went to the tax collector’s house!  I don’t know why Jesus did that.  Everyone knows that Zacchaeus cheats people.”

“Well, he really will think he’s better than all the rest of us now!”

Their story completed, the two children ran outside again. They wanted to make sure there was nothing else to see on such an eventful day.

Jacob returned to his prayer.  “Lord, now I really don’t understand.  Why couldn’t Jesus have come to Jericho sooner?  Then I wouldn’t have spent all our money on doctors.  And I wouldn’t have lost my job.  Before Miriam became ill, I rarely missed a day of work.”  He gave a sigh of despair and stood up to check on his wife.  Although it was a struggle, he managed to achieve a calm countenance before he reached her bedside.

Late the next morning, Jacob’s children were playing outside.  Suddenly, he heard their rapid footsteps as they hurried back into the house. “Papa, guess who is headed this direction?” his younger son asked.

Before he could answer, the older boy blurted out, “Zacchaeus, the tax collector!  And he’s carrying his bag of money with him.  I’ll bet he is coming to our house for more!”

Jacob tried not to react to their news.  He was well aware of the fact that he had nothing, absolutely nothing, to give Zacchaeus for taxes.  He also knew that he had already paid his taxes, which amounted to much more than they should have.  However, extorting money from common people seemed to be the way a tax collector operated. 

Glancing out the window, Jacob saw the little man approach his doorway.  His two sons stared as Zacchaeus lifted his hand to knock on the door.  With a heart filled with trepidation, Jacob answered the summons.  “Greetings, Zacchaeus,” he managed to say as he opened the door.

“Jacob, I am here on a mission,” the tax collector stated. 

It was all Jacob could do to keep himself from groaning out loud.  Still, he managed to control his emotions in order to listen to what Zacchaeus had to say.

“I had the most amazing experience yesterday,” Zacchaeus informed Jacob.  I met a man named Jesus.  He even invited himself to my home.”  As he was speaking, a transformation came over the tax collector’s face.  “It is still hard to believe that Jesus cares about me, a man other people despise because of my occupation.”  Tears began to roll down Zacchaeus’s cheeks.  He declared, “It is because of Jesus that I am here today.  He touched my heart in a way no one else has ever been able to do.”

It was then that the miracle happened for Jacob.  As Zacchaeus continued speaking, he held out his money bag.  “This is for you,” he told Jacob.  “I told Jesus that if I had cheated anyone, I would pay them back four times as much.”  He hung his head.  “I am ashamed to tell you that I took advantage of you more than once.  This is a repayment of everything you were not supposed to pay multiplied by four.  I want to ask your forgiveness, and I promise that I will never cheat you again.”

Now the tears were rolling down the cheeks of Jacob.  He could hardly believe what had just happened.  He managed to control himself enough to sob out his gratitude.  “I have been praying about the desperate situation my family is facing,” he told Zacchaeus.  “Jehovah has answered in a marvelous way!  I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful we are.  Thank you again and again!  May God bless you for all you have done!”

Zacchaeus walked away from Jacob’s home with a smile on his face, and a heart that was overflowing with love for Jesus, the One who had changed him forever.