15th Sunday of Luke

Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News, ¹³so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ, ¹⁴and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear. ¹⁵Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will. ¹⁶The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains; ¹⁷but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.

¹⁸What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice. ¹⁹For I know that this will turn out to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, ²⁰according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

He entered and was passing through Jericho. ²There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn’t because of the crowd, because he was short. ⁴He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” ⁶He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully. ⁷When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”

⁸Zacchaeus 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.”

⁹Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”