I’m with the Jews. God said they are His special possession. I respect that and I also respect the literal land of Israel. But in my mind sometimes I wonder if I am at their level with God…Yes, yes I am! The Bible says so.

Psalm 87 ~

Regarding Jerusalem^[a] it will be said,
    “Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.”
    And the Most High will personally bless this city.
⁶ When the Lord registers the nations, he will say,
    “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.” 

Zaccheaus was a rich tax collector who wanted to meet Jesus. When I was young I learned the lighthearted kid song that talked about Zaccheaus being short. That song did not do justice to the meaning of this Bible story.

Jesus told Zaccheaus He would come to his house on that day. It sounds rude, that out of the blue, Jesus says I will visit your house today but Jesus already knew Zaccheaus’ heart. The people gossiped because Zaccheaus had a bad reputation as a tax collector. But Jesus saw the man’s heart. Zaccheaus was glad Jesus would be an ‘uninvited guest’ to his home because he had already fully and excitedly given Jesus full ownership of his heart’s home.

Luke 19 ~

19 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. ² There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. ³ He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

⁵ When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

⁶ Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. ⁷ But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

⁸ Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

⁹ Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man^[a] came to seek and save those who are lost.”

The descendents of Joseph needed more of the Promised Land because there were so many of them. Joshua told them they could have more land but they had to go clear it out. Their mindset was, the people in the land were too strong for them because they had iron chariots. (This was the same negative attitude most of the Israelites had when they scouted out the land in the beginning. Joshua, their fearless leader, went ahead and gave them the land and told them they would go in and take it even though the inhabitants were strong.

Joshua 17 ~

¹⁵ Joshua replied, “If there are so many of you, and if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest where the Perizzites and Rephaites live.”

¹⁶ The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan and its surrounding settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us.”

¹⁷ Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, “Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion. ¹⁸ The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, and take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots.”