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how can we seek restorative justice while also accepting natural consequences for harm caused?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Luke 19:8-9

Zacchaeus stood, and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he is also a son of Abraham.”

This passage describes Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, encountering Jesus in Jericho. Tax collectors were often wealthy and disliked due to their practice of over-collecting and keeping the surplus for themselves. His declaration to Jesus comes after Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus's home, despite public disapproval.

What does a sincere commitment to making amends look like in our own lives today?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Leviticus 6:1-5

    Details Old Testament laws for making restitution when one has wronged another, often involving an additional percentage.

  • Matthew 5:23-24

    Emphasizes the importance of reconciliation and making things right before engaging in religious acts.

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