Devotion
Seen by Name
“There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.”
Luke 19:1-2
Jesus enters Jericho, and out of a whole crowd Luke stops to name one man: Zacchaeus. Not “a short man” — that comes later. The first thing we learn is that he was the chief tax collector, and he was rich. In other words, the most hated, most written-off man in town.
Zacchaeus got wealthy by taking advantage of his own neighbors on behalf of a cruel empire. He was considered a traitor, ranked with unclean animals, barred from the synagogue — the last person anyone expected to care about God. And yet Scripture names him. Long before Zacchaeus climbed anything, God knew exactly who and where he was. As Russ once said, “God doesn't take attendance by who's here, but by who's not here.”
Practice
Who is the person you've quietly written off — too far gone, too hostile, too “not the church type”? Say their name to yourself right now. Ask God to help you see them the way He saw Zacchaeus: not by their reputation or résumé, but as a person He already knows and is already pursuing by name.
Prayer
Father, thank you that you see the people everyone else overlooks. Forgive me for the names I've crossed off my list. Give me your eyes for the one I just thought of. Help me believe that no one is too far gone for you to call by name. In Jesus' name, amen.
This Week’s Message
This devotion follows along with this week’s message.