Howdy, two-legged friends! Itโs me, Buckโa dog who followed Jesus.
Last time, I told you about how my best friend healed a blind man who called out to him on the Jericho Road. It looked like Jesus would keep on walking, that is until I ran back to the guy and howled for help. You probably wonโt see my version of the story in the history books, so please read it here.
Would you believe, not far up the same road, there was another man who really, really wanted to meet Jesus? I know, lots of people needed his attention, but this guy was up in a treeโlike a cat!
And I got there first.๐พ๐พ
One look and one sniff told me this man was not a beggar. His leather sandals, purple clothes, and sweet-smelling perfume said he was rich, very rich.
โAtta boy, Buck! You treed a tax collector.โ It was Jesusโ friend, Matthew, who used to be one. โZac, what are you doing up there?โ
โOh, do you want him on the ground?โ I barked โI can help with that!โ
I jumpedโฆjumpedโฆjumpedโฆtrying to bite the fringe on the bottom of his fancy tunic.
โCall off your dog, Matthew!โ he wailed. โThat’s not my dog,โ he chuckled.
โ Heโs mine,โ said a firm voice, coming up from behind. โBuck, down!โ It was Jesus! Folks, old Buck dropped on his brown belly and didnโt look up.
โI just wanted to see you,โ said the guy in the tree, sounding relieved.
“Zacchaeus,โ said my pack leader, โCome down right now. I must stay at your house today.โ
How many used-to-be tax people do we need? I was trying to get (whatโs his name?) out of the tree. Thatโs what I was thinking, but the rich man didnโt think twice. He came right down and welcomed Jesus, and all of us, with open arms.
Iโm standing up now, laughing and wagging my tail, but most of the crowd isnโt happy. I hear grumbling, โDoesnโt Jesus know this crook is a tax collector? Heโs going to a sinnerโs party.โ
โHold it, people,โ I yelped. โEveryoneโs naughty, now and then. Any friend of Jesus is a friend of mine!โ
Over at Zacโs big stone house, I laid down out in the walled courtyard. There must have been quite a feast going on inside, because someone brought me a whole lambโs leg! โIโm really starting to like this guy,โ I thought, chomping.
I was just about finished, when out came Matthew with Zac. They must have known each other before. Matthew starts telling his friend about how Jesus changed his whole life, and how he doesnโt live for money anymore.
He knew they were talking about him, because here came Jesus, with a whole party full of people. Zac stood up tall in front of everyone.
โLook, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.โ
Jesus smiled, looking at Zac, and then said to everybody, โToday salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abrahamโ Then, he reminded the crowd about what he does for a living:
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Jesus–Luke 19:10 (NIV)
Yep, thatโs my best friend, and he said I was his dog!
This piece of historical fiction (the dog part, not the miracle) is dedicated to the memory of the real Buck: a chocolate lab who was a gun dog par excellence. Thatโs him below, sitting in a duck blind watching his owner for the next command. It was his intense gaze (in the photo) that sparked this story. May each of us look to God with the same level of devotion.
Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.
Psalm 105:4
*The story of Zacchaeus the tax collector is found in Luke 19:1-10.
A special thanks to Beth Alisan, from lessonsfromalab, for helping make this story possible. Hereโs a link to her post about Buck: A Moment With Our Creator: Psalm 105:4
Thank you for reading. ๐โค๏ธ prayers and love.
ยฉ๏ธ2018-2024, davidsdailydose, David Duncan. All Rights Reserved.
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