Good morning everyone and welcome back to another mornings with the masters.

We devote ourselves to the Lord daily with you.

Good morning, you guys.

Good morning indeed.

We're picking back up with our courage for Life Bibles, so Tori just can take it from here.

Yes, you guys, this is the men's version in case you are wondering, and it's all about Zachius.

It is titled replacing corruption with generosity.

Says this, Zachius was a Jewish tax collector in the service of the Roman Empire.

He lived in Jericho, a city situated on a major trade route.

As a chief tax collector, Zakius leased from the Romans the

right to collect taxes for a particular region and collected a commission from

other tax collectors who worked under him. This allowed

Zachius to acquire great wealth. First century Jews despise tax collectors

because they were notoriously corrupt and worked for the oppressive Roman authorities.

The townspeople viewed Zachius as a sinner and he was essentially an outcast from his own people.

When Jesus entered Jericho,

Zachius wanted to see him, but since he was too short to see over the crowd,

Zachius raced ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree along Jesus' path.

This undignified act from such a wealthy citizen revealed Zachius's genuine spiritual hunger.

When Jesus walked by, he looked up at Zachius,

called him by name, and invited himself over for dinner.

Overjoyed, Zachius climbed down and made Jesus a guest in his home.

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