I give half of my possessions to the poor.
—Luke 19:8
Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett established the Giving Pledge, a commitment to give more than half of their wealth away. Commendable largesse.
They weren’t the first to that party. There was a wee little rich man in Jericho who, after being with Jesus, pledged to give half of his wealth to the poor, and a big settlement to everyone he had cheated (Lk 19:8).
The shortest Zacchaeus sermon I’ve heard was three sentences long: “Zacchaeus was of little stature, so am I. Zacchaeus was up a tree, so am I. Zacchaeus came down, so will I.”
That brief sermon followed the advice a homiletics professor gave to preacher students—also three sentences long: “Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated.”
Jesus invited himself into Zacchaeus’s heart and house. And he’s knocking on your door, too (Rv 3:20).
The door of your heart can
only be opened from inside.