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joyfully

Luke 19:6&7
"6 And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner."

We don't know a lot about Zacchaeus. We can assume that Jesus passing through Jericho is not the first time he has heard of Jesus. Jesus is the top trending story of this day and time. Possibly, he had heard some of Jesus's teachings. We also assume he is well versed in the Holy Scriptures, and it's probable that he thinks Jesus is the Messiah! By today's verses, we definitely know he has prepared his heart and mind for this moment.

This is a Devine appointment. Jesus is here for Zacchaeus. And, Zacchaeus' heart and mind are open to the message coming from the Son of God. Zacchaeus is "JOYFUL!" How else to respond to the Savior of your soul?

In the next verse we can ask "How do you respond when someone finds Jesus?" These people were not nice. Their murmuring and complaining was because they believed that Jesus was associating with someone who was not worthy of His attention. As a tax collector, people perceived Zacchaeus as dishonest and a traitor for working with the Roman occupiers.

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