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Zacchaeus and Bartimeaus - The Gospels · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And he, casting away his garment, rose
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  Speaker 1: and came to Jesus. Mark 10, 50. Jesus, when I
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  Speaker 1: begin to doubt whether I am good enough to walk
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  Speaker 1: with you, I thank you that you remind me that
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  Speaker 1: you came to die for me. You remind me that
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  Speaker 1: I have been bought with your blood. Therefore, my worth
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  Speaker 1: doesn't come from what others think. but from what you've
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  Speaker 1: declared over my life. As I begin to walk in
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  Speaker 1: my confidence, when I begin to press toward your presence,
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  Speaker 1: give me the faith and boldness of blind Bartimaeus, who
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  Speaker 1: would not allow the silencing and ridicule of the crowd
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  Speaker 1: to stop him from receiving his blessing. Every time I
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  Speaker 1: face rejection from others, I declare that I will shout
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  Speaker 1: even louder, When one door closes on me, I will
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  Speaker 1: boldly go to the next because I trust that what
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  Speaker 1: you've placed in me will be released through me. Give
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  Speaker 1: me the power of persistence and the ability to know
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  Speaker 1: that what is mine is mine and nothing or no
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  Speaker 1: one will be able to stop what you are doing
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  Speaker 1: in my life. I am worth it. and I am
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  Speaker 1: valuable enough to be entrusted with what you've placed in
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  Speaker 1: me and over my life. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for making prayer a priority in your day. To
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  Speaker 1: learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Zacchaeus and Bartimaeus. In our last story, the sting of
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  Speaker 2: death was thwarted when Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead.
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  Speaker 2: With tears in his eyes and a booming voice, Jesus
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  Speaker 2: called Lazarus out of the tomb and into life. Now
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  Speaker 2: we learn about two men who followed Jesus, one a
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  Speaker 2: rich tax collector with a checkered past, the other a
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  Speaker 2: blind beggar with an inability to take no for an answer,
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  Speaker 2: inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our last episode, we heard
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  Speaker 3: of the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, whom Jesus commanded to
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  Speaker 3: rise up and walk out of the tomb, despite the
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  Speaker 3: fact that he had been dead for four days. It
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  Speaker 3: was an amazing show of the power of God over death,
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  Speaker 3: that Jesus and Jesus only can raise the dead. Today
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  Speaker 3: we're going to see how Jesus encounters two different kinds
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  Speaker 3: of men but he opens each of their eyes. Both
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  Speaker 3: men will be offered an opportunity for a new life
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  Speaker 3: of purpose as they follow the Lord. So let's listen
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  Speaker 3: to God's word.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus was passing through the city of Jericho. A sea
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  Speaker 2: of people thrashed him about, struggling to catch a glimpse
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  Speaker 2: of Jesus. The crowds were becoming so many in number
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  Speaker 2: that one could barely even point out Jesus in the masses.
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  Speaker 2: Among the throng of people was a tax collector named Zacchaeus.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus intrigued him. He wanted to see what Jesus was doing.
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  Speaker 2: He wanted to hear what Jesus was saying, and he
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  Speaker 2: was willing to do so at all costs. He was
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  Speaker 2: a small man, therefore had no way of seeing Jesus
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  Speaker 2: unless he got creative. So as Jesus was walking, Zacchaeus
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  Speaker 2: ran ahead to climb a sycamore tree. He dangled below
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  Speaker 2: the branches and lifted himself up. Then, just as he
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  Speaker 2: was beginning to get a good glimpse of Jesus, he
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  Speaker 2: fell to the ground. A few branches cracked underneath Zacchaeus.
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  Speaker 2: He rolled his toes to make sure there was no damage.
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  Speaker 2: Then he sprung back up to his feet and climbed
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  Speaker 2: the tree again. This time, he lost track of Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: The crowd was so large that Jesus seemed lost. Then
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  Speaker 2: a voice came from the ground below. Zacchaeus, the voice shouted.
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  Speaker 2: The tax collector darted his head in every direction, trying
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  Speaker 2: to pinpoint who was calling his name.' Zachias!' the voice
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  Speaker 2: yelled again.' What are you doing up there?' He darted
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  Speaker 2: his eyes directly below him to see Jesus waving.
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  Speaker 3: Up at him.
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  Speaker 2: Come down from there. I need to stay at your
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  Speaker 2: home today.'' How does he know my name?' Zacchaeus thought
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  Speaker 2: to himself.' How would Jesus know who I am?' Zacchaeus's
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  Speaker 2: attempt to climb down was clumsy and overexcited. He got
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  Speaker 2: his leg caught in a branch, tore a part of
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  Speaker 2: his robe, and got leaves stuck in his beard. However,
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  Speaker 2: he could not be more excited to host Jesus in
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  Speaker 2: his home. The small tax collector grinned cheek to cheek.
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  Speaker 2: As they were walking, Jesus could hear a few people
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  Speaker 2: grumbling and whispering. He is a guest in the house
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  Speaker 2: of a sinner, they hissed to themselves. Zacchaeus could feel
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  Speaker 2: the judgment of others as he led Jesus to his home.
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  Speaker 2: Was he worthy to house Jesus? Was he a good
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  Speaker 2: enough man? These questions raced through his mind. Doubt and
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  Speaker 2: fear welled up within him, but then he remembered some
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  Speaker 2: of the teachings he heard from Jesus. He remembered the
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  Speaker 2: parable of the pearl in a field. He remembered the
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  Speaker 2: sermon on the mount. So Zacchaeus decided to take action.
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  Speaker 2: He stood up before Jesus and raised his cup.' My lord,'
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  Speaker 2: Zacchaeus declared,' I have decided to give half of my
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  Speaker 2: goods to the poor.' And if there is anything I
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  Speaker 2: took by greed or defrauding, I will restore it to
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  Speaker 2: that person fourfold. Jesus raised his cup to Zacchaeus. Today
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  Speaker 2: salvation has come to your household, Jesus said, for the
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  Speaker 2: Son of God has come to seek and save those
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  Speaker 2: that are lost. The next day Jesus was walking into Jericho.
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  Speaker 2: The gates were wide and filled with vendors trying to
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  Speaker 2: sell things for an approaching Passover. Jesus spoke to some
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  Speaker 2: of the people who were walking beside him. Begging at
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  Speaker 2: the side of the gate was a blind man named Bartimaeus.
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  Speaker 2: He could hear a stirring in the crowds beside the
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  Speaker 2: gate and asked what the commotion was. It is Jesus
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  Speaker 2: of Nazareth, the man replied. Bartimaeus stood to his feet
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  Speaker 2: and ran as fast as he could toward the crowd.
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  Speaker 2: The blind man knocked down fruit carts and broke baskets
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  Speaker 2: under his feet.' Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'
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  Speaker 2: he shouted. Some men in the crowd shoved him to
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  Speaker 2: the ground, but Bartimaeus was determined. He burst through the
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  Speaker 2: men and flailed through the crowds. Some others tried to
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  Speaker 2: hold him by his robe, but he simply threw it off.' Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: Son of David, have mercy on me!' Bartimaeus roared. Jesus
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  Speaker 2: nodded to his disciples. Go and get him for me.
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  Speaker 2: So the disciples brought him near. Bartimaeus was bruised from
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  Speaker 2: the crowd trying to shut him up, but on his
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  Speaker 2: face he wore the largest grin in all of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus matched his grin and said, What can I do
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  Speaker 2: for you? Bartimaeus fell to his knees. Please, Rabbi, I
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  Speaker 2: desire to see the skies again. I desire to see
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  Speaker 2: the waters, the trees, and the birds. Please restore my
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  Speaker 2: sight to me. Jesus held the man to his feet.
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  Speaker 2: Go your way, Bartimaeus. Your faith has made you well.
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  Speaker 2: And in that instant, the beggar's sight was restored. Colors, shapes,
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  Speaker 2: and movements surrounded him. Light shone brightly, and the figure
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  Speaker 2: of Jesus' smile slowly came into focus. Bartimaeus did not
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  Speaker 2: return to his home. He followed Jesus. There was no
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  Speaker 2: one else he would rather see.
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  Speaker 3: Today in our story of Jesus... He is in the
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  Speaker 3: city of Jericho. This town is known for the great
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  Speaker 3: Old Testament battle in which God brought the walls down
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  Speaker 3: to give his people victory. But today, our reading tells
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  Speaker 3: not of physical walls, but of spiritual walls that come down,
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  Speaker 3: the walls that separate us from God and each other. First,
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  Speaker 3: we meet a man of small stature and even smaller
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  Speaker 3: regard for his community. His name, this wee little man,
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  Speaker 3: is Zacchaeus, and he is a hated tax collector. All
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  Speaker 3: tax collectors were disliked by the Jews in that day
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  Speaker 3: as they were working for the oppressive Roman government and
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  Speaker 3: they were taking a cut for themselves. They used to
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  Speaker 3: charge exorbitant taxes and skim off the top for their
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  Speaker 3: own personal gain. They were considered traitors and cheaters and thieves.
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  Speaker 3: Zacchaeus was one such man. His dishonesty and deceit made
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  Speaker 3: him very wealthy, but of course he was not respected.
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  Speaker 3: In fact, he was hated. And yet we discover that
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  Speaker 3: he wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he
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  Speaker 3: was passing through his town. But he had a big problem,
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  Speaker 3: and that was his little stature. And he had no
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  Speaker 3: friends to help him get through the crowd or see
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  Speaker 3: over the crowd. There was little hope that he could
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  Speaker 3: ever catch a glimpse of Jesus among the throngs of
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  Speaker 3: people who were lining the streets. It was like a
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  Speaker 3: parade as Jesus came through. But Zacchaeus has a plan.
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  Speaker 3: He climbs up the branches of a sycamore tree to
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  Speaker 3: get a vantage point where he can see Jesus going by.
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  Speaker 3: And to his great surprise, when Jesus comes his way,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord doesn't walk by. He looks up and calls
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  Speaker 3: him by name and says, Zacchaeus, come down, for I'm
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  Speaker 3: going to stay at your house today. What an amazing
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  Speaker 3: turn of events for this man, and no doubt for
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  Speaker 3: everyone in the crowd. Can't you just hear the grumblings
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  Speaker 3: among the religious people and their followers? and also all
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  Speaker 3: the townspeople that Jesus would pay attention to this hated man?
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  Speaker 3: How could this dishonest, deceitful man manage to get an
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  Speaker 3: audience with Jesus? And why would Jesus associate with a
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  Speaker 3: man like this guy? Zacchaeus excitedly came down the tree
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  Speaker 3: and ran to prepare his home to receive the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: It was an encounter that changed the rest of his life.
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  Speaker 3: Zacchaeus stood and told the Lord that he was going
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  Speaker 3: to make right what he had done to defraud people
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  Speaker 3: of their money. And not just that, he was going
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  Speaker 3: to give half of his great wealth to the poor.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus said, Zacchaeus, salvation has come to your house. For
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  Speaker 3: the Son of Man, Jesus, has come to seek and
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  Speaker 3: to save the lost. This is a very important statement
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  Speaker 3: that Jesus made. In effect, it is his mission. It
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  Speaker 3: is his mission statement. This is why Jesus came, to
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  Speaker 3: seek and to save the lost. So, The meeting of
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  Speaker 3: this man and Jesus was a personal encounter with the
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  Speaker 3: Son of God that changed the heart of a very
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  Speaker 3: broken man forever. When Jesus saw him, he called him
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  Speaker 3: by name, and Zacchaeus' spiritual eyes were opened to the need,
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  Speaker 3: his need, of a Savior. His heart was changed and
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  Speaker 3: his life was changed, and he began to give to
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  Speaker 3: others out of generous gratitude to God. Now remember this
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  Speaker 3: about salvation, what it means to be saved from our sins.
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  Speaker 3: We don't do this for ourselves. This is the gift
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  Speaker 3: of God. But once we become believers and followers of
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  Speaker 3: the Lord, our hearts and our lives are transformed. If
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  Speaker 3: anyone is in Christ, the Bible says, he is a
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  Speaker 3: new creation. That's 2 Corinthians 5, 17. And when we
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  Speaker 3: come to faith in Jesus, we follow him and become
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  Speaker 3: more like him by the power of the Holy Spirit. Next,
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  Speaker 3: we hear about a man named Bartimaeus, who heard Jesus
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  Speaker 3: was coming to his town. The man sat by the
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  Speaker 3: roadside in darkness. He was desperate for someone to help,
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  Speaker 3: so he began to cry out again and again to Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: Those all around him tried to shut him down, shut
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  Speaker 3: him up, but he didn't listen. He kept saying, Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: Son of David, have mercy on me. Hearing his cries,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus asked for the man to be brought to him,
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  Speaker 3: and then in Mark 10, verse 51, he asked an
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  Speaker 3: unusual question. And Jesus said to him, What do you
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  Speaker 3: want me to do for you? This man was blind,
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  Speaker 3: so his need was obvious. But still, Jesus asked, What
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  Speaker 3: do you want? Why would he do that? Jesus wanted
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  Speaker 3: to know if this man was believing in him, trusting
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  Speaker 3: in him. God is pleased when we show faith by
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  Speaker 3: asking for what we need. He, of course, knows what
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  Speaker 3: we need before we ask. But when we ask, we
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  Speaker 3: are showing faith. This is what happens when we pray.
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  Speaker 3: We are trusting God. The blind man shows that he
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  Speaker 3: had faith and asked for his sight to be restored.
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  Speaker 3: And Jesus said, your faith has made you well. Just
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  Speaker 3: as it was with Zacchaeus, this man's response in faith
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  Speaker 3: brought him restoration and the healing of his eyes and
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  Speaker 3: the opening of his heart. His eyes were open and
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  Speaker 3: so was his heart. And he began to follow Jesus
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  Speaker 3: then and there and his life was transformed completely. for
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  Speaker 3: the glory of God. Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, that
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  Speaker 3: like Zacchaeus, we were lost without you, but you found us.
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  Speaker 3: You called our name, and we came to you. And
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  Speaker 3: like that blind man, Bartimaeus, we could not see you,
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  Speaker 3: but we believed in you. The world says seeing is believing,
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  Speaker 3: but we know you say believing is seeing. So, Lord,
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  Speaker 3: we look to you, and in faith, we trust you
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  Speaker 3: and follow you with all of our hearts. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the
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  Speaker 3: Pray.com app and make prayer a priority in your life,
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  Speaker 3: just like over 20 million people have done to this date.
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  Speaker 3: know and love, because by sharing this message of the
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  Speaker 3: Word of God, you can make an eternal difference in
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  Speaker 3: someone's life. God bless you, and we look forward to
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  Speaker 3: joining you again the next time.
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  Speaker 2: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative health care
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