Holiness is contagious, and grace transforms. I believe that sentence encapsulates well the theme I was trying to explore last Sunday.
We looked at the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19). I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say, Zacchaeus encountered the goodness of God. Jesus extends his intimacy and acceptance to Zacchaeus by inviting himself over.
Zacchaeus responds appropriately to this holy grace. He becomes a “good news” person. No more business as usual for Zacchaeus, metaphorically and literally. Zacchaeus promises to give half his income to the poor. And he promises to make restitution, paying back anyone he’s cheated fourfold. The announcement of Jesus is even more startling: “Today, salvation has come to your house.” I believe Jesus is saying in essence, Zacchaeus gets it. He has responded appropriately. He’s repented and embraced God’s call upon his life. One could argue that Zacchaeus changed his loyalties: whereas once he was dedicated to the Roman government, now he’s dedicated to God’s kingdom. He’s also changed the direction of his love: whereas once he loved money, now he loves God and God’s ways. It’s no more business as usual for Zacchaeus.
I believe we need to take note here. Holiness is contagious, and grace transforms. We know that we’ve met Christ when it’s no more business as usual. And we know that we’re growing in grace when we are leaving behind the stuff that keeps us from living in and out of God’s love. It’s true, Jesus reaches out to us and takes us in as we are. But if we say yes to him, we can’t remain the same. Perhaps, at the end of the day, there are only two ways to respond to God’s grace. We can say yes and walk in the light or we can say no and cling to our darkness. I doubt there’s any middle ground. God’s grace—when appropriated!—can only transform. Peace.
