On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus had to pass through Jericho. There lived a very wealthy man named Zacchaeus, who supervised all the tax collectors. He was very eager to see Jesus and kept trying to get a look at him through the massive crowd. Since Zacchaeus was a short man and couldn’t see over the heads of the people, he ran on ahead of everyone and climbed up a blossoming fig tree to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed by. When Jesus got to that place, he looked up into the tree and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry on down, for I must[c] stay at your house today!”
When I was a kid in Sunday School we sang about this wee little man in today’s passage who wanted to see Jesus, so he climed a tree. I always liked that song, maybe because I’m short. when you are verically challenged, and people are in your way to see something, you either go high or low to avoid the part of a body that blocks your view. Now although Zaccheus was thought little of in the eyes of his fellow Jews because he was a tax collector for Rome, he chose to go high to see Jesus.
As I was reminded of this Bible account of Jesus meeting a tax collector and telling him He was going to his house, it made me think. Are we willing to go high to see Jesus? Zaccheus was the lowest of the low in society, but he knew if he could just see Jesus, He would take him higher than he’d ever dreamed. And that’s what happened, Jesus went to his house, and His visit transformed Zaccheus’ life. Instead of being a swindler, cheat and liar, he became a giver, restorer of what he stole and speaking the truth of Jesus to everyone who would listen.
Are you looking for Jesus today? Are you inviting Him in to your house? Are you allowing Him to show you what His true Salvation brings? Maybe you have a view of yourself that you’re what I like to call a less then, because of bad things that have happened in your life, of choices you have made that hurt and hindered you. Ot maybe you just think it’s too late for you, you’re too far gone for Jesus to make a difference in your life. But do you know what Zaccheus name is in Hebrew? It is Zacchi, which means acquitted. Every time Jesus said his name Zacchi, he was reminded that his sins were forgiven him and he was set free.
Do you hear Jesus callin your name to set you free from whatever is hindering your relationship with Him? If so, answer Him, see Him in your house restoring you to Himself and back into a relationship with Abba Father God. Like Zaccheus, your life will be transformed and all thinks will see things from a different perspective, a tree top view.
Leave a Reply