IT’S A GLITCH

• DAY 227
• FAITH FILE: ZACCHAEUS
• SCRIPTURES: LUKE 19:6-10

So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:6-10

We are often too judgmental of people who are just trying to get a hold of Jesus. For example, when we see people who do not “act” Christian or are not as bold about their faith or are just plain unbelievers publicly posting about Jesus online, people get triggered and they express anger and disapproval in the comment section. They say things like, “How can you say that you are a Christian and behave or dress that way? We condemn them because we think they should not even mention their name. After all, they are too sinful to talk about Jesus. The most recent example is the popular chef that won a Guinness World record and some people became so upset that she calls the name of God and dresses indecently. This is how we often treat people who do not fit our ideology of what a Christian should be and unbelievers.

Glitching Phase

What we forget is that Jesus is always tugging at our heartstrings. The Bible says that he’s there consistently knocking at the door of our hearts, and whoever opens, He comes in and dines with them. However, this knocking has a physical expression I call glitching. When something glitches, it shows that two different realities trying to gain expression. When a bulb glitches, it comes on and off. That’s how an unbeliever whom God is tugging at their heartstrings responds.

Today, they wake up with a deep craving for God, and the next day, they club all night. They’re in for Jesus, today and out tomorrow. And in that glitching phase, all they need is support to pull them to the finish line. But what we offer them is condemnation instead of love. There’s a reason God uses goodness to draw us. Instead of us creating a safe place for them to find faith, we tear them apart.

The same thing happened to Zacchaeus, he was just trying to get to know Jesus, and he wanted salvation. Yes, he was a tax collector but he tried to live an upright life. He gave to the poor and was willing to repay people he cheated. He was glitching. And now Jesus was at His house to bring him salvation but the religious titans were disapproving. I’m assuming that he tried to go to the temple before but he couldn’t because the religious leaders were very judgmental and unwelcoming of someone like him. Thank God Jesus was not like them. He offered Zaccheus another opportunity by simply associating with him and acknowledging that he deserved salvation too.

Give Grace

We need to be more intentional about bringing salvation to people and not trying to kill them for even trying a little bit. It is our responsibility to offer people grace that helps them come out of the glitching phase and live a sold-out life for Christ. Let your words be their warm blanket to come into Christ.

If this is you and you’re in your glitching phase right now, and you want to know about Jesus. But, you but you feel like it’s a whole lot of work, it’s not. Leave a comment “I need a warm blanket” and I’ll reach out to you. And, can talk about how you can live a life that glorifies God. There’s no judgment over here, not even a little bit.

Shalom