Salvation Has Come To This House

I'd like to quote at length a moving story from Jerram Barrs' book, Learning Evangelism from Jesus:

When he hears Zacchaeus’s words of repentance Jesus then declares “salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9). Salvation comes to dwell in Zacchaeus’s house. From then on his home would be a place of love, of generosity, of grace, in place of the corruption and greed that had been present before.

This is the way that our homes should be described: homes in which salvation dwells. Here I will use the example of my father- in-law, who died just this past year in his early nineties. When I was studying at Covenant Theological Seminary back in the late sixties, my wife and I used to spend each summer with Dad and Mom at their home, and I would work with him on the farm all summer long. Dad owned a small farm in Central California, and grew tree fruit like peaches, nectarines, plums, and persimmons, and also some grapes and kiwis.

In the summer of 1969 I was walking back through the fields before lunch and I came across Dad kneeling in his orchard, praying. Dad was holding up a peach in his hand and he was saying: “Lord, these peaches are yours. These trees are yours, and all the fruit they will ever bear. This orchard is yours. My farm is yours. I am yours. Thank you for your love to me in Jesus. Help me to serve you in all I do.” When he had finished and got up from his knees, he saw me there and was quite embarrassed; but I quietly asked him to tell me what he was doing. He said that he was offering the firstfruits of his young peach trees to the Lord. When a peach tree is three or four years old it will bear its first fruit—it will have four or five large, beautiful peaches, some of the finest fruit the tree will ever bear.

Dad had never been taught in his church the true meaning of the various offerings and services in the Old Testament law that were required of the people of Israel; and certainly no one had ever suggested to him that he ought to put them into practice. But he read the Bible himself, and he understood the intent of these laws, and so he had decided that he would regularly have this service of firstfruits just between himself and the Lord. Every time any of his fruit trees started to bear, he would have this little service. He never told anyone about it—it was a private matter between himself and the Lord. I had the privilege of sharing about this at his memorial service this past fall, and also in many other settings. The Lord has used this story to touch the lives of many people very deeply—just as he uses the story of Zacchaeus to transform the hearts and lives of many.

The consequences of Dad’s little ceremony were remarkable. First, it impacted his attitude toward his employees and anyone with whom he did business. He did not ask about his “bottom line”—what profit he would make, or what he could afford—when he was think- ing about paying the men who worked on his farm. Rather, he asked what would be pleasing to the Lord, what was just, merciful, and fair.

Second, when he gave, he gave generously without thinking about how much precisely he could spare. Many years, he gave away more than 50 percent of his income (and he was not a wealthy man). He gave to his church, to ministries, to orphans, and to many other individuals. He did not keep careful records of all his giving, though, of course, with more regular gifts he received tax deductible receipts. He was once audited by the IRS for giving away too much of his income—afterward, they sent him a personal letter of commenda- tion, both for the honesty and clearness of his book-keeping, and also for his extraordinary generosity. They informed him, however, that he could not give so much and claim it all as tax deductible. He was giving over the limit. He had no idea there was a limit—he continued giving just as generously, but in the future kept the limit in mind when he filled out his return.

We need to ask ourselves, “In what way do others see salvation dwelling in my house?” In some small way we, like Zacchaeus, are to show the grace that God has shown to us: God’s response to our sin is grace, the grace of Jesus Christ. Our response to others is to be the grace that has been extended to us.

- Jerram Barrs, Learning Evangelism from Jesus, p. 92,93