When I was in middle school, someone gave me a label-maker as a gift. The little handheld device stamped raised white letters onto blue vinyl tape—and from the start, I was smitten. I ran around labeling everything in sight. My art supplies got labeled. My notebooks and journals got labeled. I’m pretty sure that if my cats had held still long enough, even they would have gotten labeled.
And while this kind of labeling is harmless, I think we can all agree: it doesn’t feel very good when we, ourselves, get labeled.
If someone calls us a “failure,” or “bad person” it hurts.
Our world is good at slapping labels, just like these, onto people. And when those labels have an element of truth to them (we have all failed, for example), it can make us desperate for a glimpse of Jesus—the One who can change both the labels we wear and the way we live our lives.
Thankfully, the story of Zacchaeus gives us exactly the glimpse of Jesus that we need:
“He entered and was passing through Jericho. There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn’t because of the crowd, because he was short. He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. When 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.” He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully.
When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.” 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 also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:1-10 WEBBE)
Jesus gives us a new label.
When people saw that Jesus was going to Zacchaeus’ house, they murmured, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.” And there was some truth to that label. In that day, Tax Collectors were notorious for taking more money than required from people, and padding their own pockets with it. But after Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus, the Lord said of him, “Today, salvation has come to this house…he also is a son of Abraham.”
Through salvation, Jesus changed Zacchaeus’ label from “sinner” to “son.” And He does the same thing for us, when we accept Christ. He takes all the sins and failings that previously defined us—and He unsticks them. Those labels no longer apply to us because Jesus has washed us clean.
You know, in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul lists a number of sin-labels, like “thief” and “extortionist” (both of which probably described a rich tax-collector like Zacchaeus), but then he goes on to say, “Some of you were such, but you were washed…You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (v11)
Though we, like Zacchaeus, have failed in many sinful ways, those failings no longer define us in Christ. Jesus doesn’t look at us and call us “failure.” So why should we continue to call ourselves that? We have been given a better label to wear. We are called children of Abraham, now—sons and daughters, grafted into the family of believers, who are justified by faith.
So, the next time some person or thought refers to you by one of those old failure-based labels, do not let it stick. Instead, make it an opportunity to rehearse your new title—even if only to yourself. Though you used to be called “sinner,” now you are called “son” or “daughter.” Practice calling yourself what Jesus calls you—and only that. Let those other labels fall away and get replaced by gospel truth.
Jesus gives us a new lifestyle.
Zacchaeus had climbed a tree to “see who Jesus was”—and “who Jesus was” transformed his entire life.
- Jesus was the One who knew the tax-collector by name.
- He was the One who sought him out, though others pushed him away.
- And, whether or not Zacchaeus’ knew it, Jesus was the One who would one day climb a tree for him.
After encountering this Jesus, there was no way the tax-collector could stay the same. In repentance, he changed his whole life-direction. Instead of cheating more people out of their money, he promised to repay those he’d wronged. And instead of greedily clinging to his possessions, he promised to give half of them away to the poor.
This new direction was proof that Jesus had changed more than Zacchaeus’ outer label, He had changed his heart. And thankfully, our Savior still does the same kind of inside-out work in believers, today.
Consider: As a believer, how has Jesus not only changed your “label” (or standing before God), but also changed the way you live your life?
- Maybe, you used to be so focused on worldly things that you pushed matters of faith to the side. But lately, the balance of your life has been recalibrated—and God is at the center.
- Or maybe, you recently slipped back into an old sin habit—only this time you grieved and felt convicted, like never before.
Don’t gloss over changes like these. Things like new focus on God and new grief over sin are proof that Jesus is changing you. He’s helping you live into your new identity as “son” or “daughter!”
So, if you find yourself struggling with those old, sticky labels that don’t want to let go, remember: Because of Jesus, you are not who you were. Rejoice over how far He has brought you and rejoice that, in Him, a new life stretches out before you.
No matter what labels we’ve worn thus far—and no matter how much we deserved to wear them—Jesus is our label and life changer. He does not leave us as He finds us. Hallelujah.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my 2025 reading plan: “A Year in the Gospels” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along! You can also learn more about my Scripture over Screentime experiment here.
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2025 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
