CONTENTMENT
IN CHRIST
(Text: Luke 19: 1- 10)
~Lawrence
S. Khawzawl
As
a human what are we longing for? Everyone longs for happiness, joy, peace and
contentment and to have that most of us search for wealth. We thought if we
have enough wealth we will be able to have all these happiness, joy, peace and
contentment in our life. Therefore we are struggling hard in every possible
ways to acquire as much wealth as we could which will give us happiness, joy,
peace, security and all the high position in the society and also in the
church. But will this wealth really brings what we are looking for? Will it
brings real contentment in our life?
Here
in our passage which we have read it from the Gospel of Luke, we find a man
named Zacchaeus who is the Chief Tax Collector and very rich. The passage
clearly mentions that he is rich! This might meant that there are Chief Tax
Collectors but who are not rich. But here we clearly find a Chief Tax Collector
who is rich. Now, what is important here is not about his job of being the
Chief Tax Collector but I want to focus on the mention of being him as rich!
That does not mean that I want to condemn those who are rich but let’s focus on
the life of Zacchaeus which is clearly and interestingly presented in the
Gospel of Luke.
Like
I have raised the question there in my introduction whether wealth will bring
happiness, joy, peace and contentment in our life or not, we will try to find
the answer from the life of Zacchaeus who is the Chief Tax Collector and who is
rich. Rich could mean someone who is having all the wealth, and if someone is
having all the wealth means he or she will be having happiness, joy, peace and
contentment in their life. Is not that way what we all are thinking? Are we
right then? Was Zacchaeus who was rich having all the wealth and enjoying a
comfortable position in the society happy, joyful, peaceful and contented? If
yes then don’t you think the passage that we have read will be different? Yes,
if Zachhaeus who was the Chief Tax Collector and was rich was happy, joyful,
peaceful and contented with his wealth, he would have not climbed the sycamore
tree in front of all the people who might be poorer than him and shamed himself
there in public just to see a man named Jesus who was also the son of a
Carpenter, poorer than him, does not even have position in the society.
What
could be the reason then that makes Zacchaeus the rich man acted that way? Was
he mentally challenged? Or was he trying to show Jesus who he was? No, a man
who is enjoying a comfortable position in the society, who is rich and
possessing all wealth climbing the sycamore tree in the public just to see
someone who is poorer than him having lower status in the society than him must
be missing something in his life.
That
is true, this act of Zaccheus clearly shows that he is missing or longing
something in spite of his wealth and his position in the society. And that is
the reason why he forced himself to climb the sycamore tree to find what he
really looks for. Though Jesus was poorer than him, having no position at all
in the society he knew that in Him there is happiness, joy, peace and
contentment in life. And to have those he has to meet Jesus no matter how even
if he needs to climb the sycamore tree in front of everyone and shame himself.
Therefore leaving behind all his wealth and position he searches Jesus who has
all those he needs. And because of his right attitude he finally found Jesus the
owner of happiness, joy, peace and contentment.
Friends,
like Zacchaeus, we may also be rich and enjoy comfortable position in the
society, possessing all wealth or we may have high educational qualifications,
multi-talented, good in performing different activities and so on. But if all
these gifts and talents are used without having Jesus in our life we may not
have the real happiness, joy, peace and contentment in life. Without having
Jesus Christ though we may have all these gifts and talents, our life might
still be longing for something more, something that could fill our emptiness.
And who could fill that emptiness is none other but only Jesus. Only in Jesus
will we have real happiness, joy, peace and contentment. Therefore let us make
sure we have Jesus Christ in our life no matter what kind of wealth and
positions we have. No matter what others might think even if we need to shame
ourselves in finding Him. We should find and have Him in our life even at the
cost of losing all our wealth and position. As long as we have Him, our life
will be full of happiness, joy, peace no matter what kind of situation we are
facing; we will be able to sing with smile. Once we have Jesus, we will never
thirst again and long no more for something else because in Him there is
Contentment. Amen!
(7th April 2019,
Serampore College)
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