Who is important?
Why are they important? Are they
more important than they should be? Why
should someone be important? Do many
people think they are more important than they really are? Luke 18:15 through 19:10 considers four
different people or groups of people that Jesus uses to ask and answer these
questions. (This song can be sung to the tune of "Take My Life and Let It Be")
Little children
come to Me, Like Zacchaeus in the tree,
Like the blind men
by the way, Come and worship Me today. (repeat phrase)
Come not like the
rich young man, Who came to Me with his own plan,
Come in simple
faith today, I’ll not turn your faith away. (repeat phrase)
Who was important?
Jesus! Who is important? Jesus!
The children knew it. The
disciples thought they weren’t important enough for Him. The rich young ruler said Jesus was important,
but didn’t believe it. The blind men
knew He was important and pressed their way to Him against much
opposition. Zacchaeus knew that He was
important and let that truth change His life.
The only One who rightly deserves full recognition for
importance is the King of kings. If He
is over all, then He must be the most important of all. If He is all wise then He is more important
than all sages and teachers on earth. If
He is all powerful then He is more important than the men who have atomic
bombs. If He is all truth then every
philosophy and teaching that doesn’t point clearly to Him is unimportant and a
fraud.
His importance in our lives is exemplified by how
important we show Him to be. Is He all
important in our decision making? Is He
all important in our finances? Is He all
important in our educational plans? Is
He all important in our family? The
children just wanted to worship Him in simplicity. Jesus thought that was great. The rich young ruler wanted to worship Him in
word but not deed. Jesus thought that
was sorrowful. The blind men wanted to
worship His power and then found themselves enraptured with His grace. Jesus thought that was right. Zacchaeus wanted to just to see Him, to see
if He was for real. Then He wanted to
obey Him because He found that He was.
To each person or group Jesus offered His grace. Those who believed did not go away
disappointed. Neither will we. We need to let His grace shine forth with His
true importance in our lives each day.
The Friday Benediction
Until Monday, my friends, may the
good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of
faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the
saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that
confession this weekend. Amen
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