THURSDAY--"MARKED- Calling and Response"

Luke 19:1-9 (New International Version)
Luke 19
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector 1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "
8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
Familiar story? I must say that every time I read this story, I break into song. "Zacchaeus was a wee little man....". I know that you probably feel the urge to finish it so feel free.....ok, let's move on. This episode in scripture is much more than a kids story. It is a lesson that can be used by all of us. It is the lesson of calling and response. Jesus called Zacchaeus and Zacchaeus said..."maybe later Lord, I'm enjoying this tree". Did he? Of course not. Jesus called Zacchaeus and Zacchaeus CAME DOWN! Not only did he come down but he responded even further by inviting Jesus to his house. Not only did he come down, invite Jesus to his , but Zacchaeus transformed his whole life. No longer did he live the way he was. Zacchaeus was different after being "marked" by Jesus. How about you? Are your different after being "marked" by Jesus?