Hey Friend,
Let's talk about dysfunctional homes. Do you know homes where everything is off balance? Maybe you grew up in a home like that or maybe you feel your actual home is running in a dysfunctional way. Is there hope?
I like to think of the home of Zacchaeus, in the Bible. Can you imagine how dysfunctional his home must have been? Zacchaeus betrayed his own people for profit and money definitely guided his life. His home was probably isolated from the community and he could not even participate in the Jewish religious activities. There must be a reason why people hated him so much, he was probably not known for his loving and generous personality.
How many homes today are run on the same principle? Homes where the main direction is after money, power, selfish gains, lack of community, greediness, on and on. There is very little love, compassion, and respect going on.
In many dysfunctional homes, everything is done in a forceful and self-serving way. Zacchaeus was probably not the kind of guy who sits around and ponders about things, he was a go-getter. When he hears this important man, Jesus, is in town he runs over there, full speed, with a clever plan in mind. Not wanting to go beyond the text, but it is easy to see how Zacchaeus did not wait for things to happen, he made them happen in his own way.
However, suddenly, Zacchaeus plans turn into an unexpected direction. Zacchaeus did not ask for Jesus to come visit him, he did not plan the dinner meal beforehand, or had his place pumped up for the important visit. He was probably used to tell people what to do, not being told what to do.
Jesus spots him up on the tree and asks Zacchaeus to come down from the tree immediately. As in right now. However, it was not an order for punishment, it was a call for a relationship. Jesus wanted to love Zacchaeus unconditionally.
Friend, don't underestimate the power of Jesus' love transforming dysfunctional homes like Zacchaeus'. When Jesus enters his home, Zacchaeus life direction shifts dramatically, not out of duty, but out of gratefulness and worship.
Jesus, in fact, did not choose to stay overnight in the functional homes of Jericho. Not at the priest's home, not at the religious dad's homes or any of the crowd's homes.
Friend, the truth is that all of us live in dysfunctional homes. Some of us are aware of it, some of us are blinded to the truth of it. We all need Jesus inside our homes transforming greediness into gratefulness, selfishness into generosity, loneliness into a community, and hatred into love.
Some homes may look more dysfunctional than others, but aren't we all are guilty of lacking in love, compassion, and respect?
Thankfully, Jesus came to seek and save the lost, because that leaves enough margin for all of us to answer his call!
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