{"id":10784,"date":"2025-10-29T08:40:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=10784"},"modified":"2025-11-03T10:06:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T16:06:33","slug":"november-2-2025-a-simple-act-a-lasting-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/november-2-2025-a-simple-act-a-lasting-change\/","title":{"rendered":"November 2, 2025 – A Simple Act, a Lasting Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prepare<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Luke is the only gospel in which we find the story of Zacchaeus. Luke often shares stories of people who are marginalized, oppressed, or looked down upon and shows how Jesus\u2019s love changes them. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and would have been shunned by his own people because of his profession. In those days, taxes imposed by Rome took a large portion of people\u2019s money, leaving many poor.\u00a0 And as was the practice of tax collectors, Zacchaeus was likely skimming a little extra for himself too, aggravating people even more. Zacchaeus became wealthy through his position in the Roman system and his own cheating, even as most of his people struggled in poverty.<\/p>\n

However, a small act of compassion and inclusion by Jesus turns into not only Zacchaeus\u2019s complete repentance for whom he\u2019s defrauded, it opens his eyes to the compassion his own people need. In addition to paying back four times what he had taken from those he wronged, he also gave half of his possessions to the poor. He has more than he needs and is called to share what he has because Christ has shared love and kindness to him, even while he was a sinner. It\u2019s a beautiful story of how God\u2019s love can transform a person.<\/p>\n

This gospel also ties or pairs well with the Old Testament text from Isaiah for today. In Isaiah\u2019s time, the Israelites had fallen away from faith and faithful living. Isaiah 1:10-18 reminds the people that God is not pleased with small sacrifices of their wealth alone. God doesn\u2019t want the people just going through the motions of what\u2019s the least amount \u201crequired of them\u201d by law. What God really wants is for God\u2019s followers to remember that laws are made to help people care for each other and live with kindness and compassion. In verse 17 Isaiah urges:<\/p>\n

\u201cLearn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphans, plead for the widow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as Zacchaeus is reminded to think of others and not hoard wealth or take resources from others, God speaks through Isaiah to remind the Israelites of the same thing. Wealth itself isn\u2019t bad; what\u2019s sinful is when we fail to share or care for those in need. At the same time, Jesus reminds us that in teaching people how to show kindness and compassion, we are best to speak the lesson in words of love and compassion ourselves. Otherwise, our lack of kindness turns people away from hearing God\u2019s word in a way that could change them. Love begets love.<\/p>\n

Opening Exercise<\/strong><\/h4>\n