I learned a new hand shake on Sunday. No need to speak the other person’s language to show friendship with a hand shake. Laughter, and trying to learn the new way of saying “hello” crossed all cultural and language barriers. I could not understand his name and so his cousin finally just gave up and said, Zacchaeus . I said, “You mean like in the Bible?” “Yes!” I had just met the Guatemalan Zachaeus – cool! It was an example of how God has been bringing a passage of Scripture to life for me.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:31-40
When I heard this read recently, I cried. Why? Because I was thankful – overwhelmingly thankful. Not because someone has treated me with kindness or that I am in need like those in this passage, but because I am privileged to give. Having eyes that see need and hands that give without thought and feet that travel to those who are “the least” is a gift. I cried because I have been a recipient of this gift to give. Just as we cannot come to God on our own, He must call, and just as we cannot do anything on our own but must rely on the One True Vine, we cannot give without seeing like Jesus sees – He gives us sight, His sight.
The more weighty reason for my tears was another realization. In serving and giving to those who are helpless , I am serving Jesus. He is leading me and giving me opportunity to serve Him, Him. The One who gave up all to come and save me – the helpless one. Giving up, He gave to me. Now I give back to Him what has already come from Him! What a joy!
“ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”(Philippians 2:3-8 ESV)
But where is the glory in all of this? What is the point in it all? In all of this giving and serving and dying to self? The point is that it is worship. Yes, worship. I am a worshiper. Worshipping is in our makeup, our DNA. We will worship something or someone. The One who made me to worship has given me a way to worship Him through this gift of giving.
”Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. “(Philippians 2:9-11 ESV)
And so, as I hugged Guatemalan Zachaeus goodbye, I was smiling from ear to ear. He came to my house – mine! And I received him joyfully with a new handshake and pistachios. I had experienced the gift again.
”And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.”(Luke 19:5-6 ESV)
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