A Son of Abraham

10/6/2015

Luke 19.9-10 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Dr. Luke

There is a lot of religious turmoil in the world today on account of Abraham. The Muslims venerate him and so do Christians. And on both sides the issue boils down to ancestry and familial ties. Many on both sides would claim to be the sons of Abraham.

I have always read this story of Zacchaeus as Jesus referring to him as a Jew – a son of Abraham. But that doesn’t square with what the Lord thought of Abraham: ancestry meant little to Jesus; faithfulness meant everything. Zacchaeus was commended by Jesus for his faith, not his ancestry; and Abraham is the father of the faithful. I too, am a son of Abraham, as it every other person whose belief is credited to him as righteousness.

Claiming righteousness is one thing; being righteous is another. We are righteous because we believe in God and believe God. That doesn’t mean dressing a particular way, or refusing to eat particular foods. It doesn’t mean clinging to a particular teaching, or praying in a certain manner at a certain time. It means belief in God and believing in what He has said. A child who loves his father tries to do what his father says. Righteousness is that simple.

Ancestry has little to do with one’s relationship with God. Anyone can be a child of God by living in relationship with God and believing that God is God. It doesn’t matter where you are born or who your kin are; it doesn’t matter who your great, great, great, great grandparents were. It only applies to those who, like Zacchaeus, see God for Who He is, and repent. Repent of criminal acts? Yes, but more so: repenting of living according to one’s self, and one’s worldview; it’s repenting of disbelief in God.

Zacchaeus was called a son of Abraham that day because of his faith in God. That faith led him to change his way of living and to make restitution to those he’d defrauded because that’s what the righteous son of Abraham would do in the presence of God: make things right (or attempt to do so…).

My faith is not a merit badge, nor is it a weapon. My faith calls me to treat others as I wish to be treated. My faith calls me to love God and love people. My faith is what makes me a son of Abraham. Abraham is the father of all who believe God and find that belief is credited them as righteousness…

Father God, as Abraham sought to know You and to please You, he did because he believed You. As Your child may my faith grow. May my faith help me to overcome the things that cause me to rely on me, rather than You. Lord, faith is all about You. Help me to live that way – not self-righteously, but doing what is right in order to honor You, and underscore my belief in You. Amen.