And
he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he
could not, because he was of small stature. So he ran on ahead and
climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass
that way. Luke 19:3-4 (ESV)
The
Little Man That Did
The
story of Zacchaeus has always been a favorite of mine. He was a Chief
Tax Collector for Rome and had made himself very rich by taking from
the populace more than Rome demanded. Not only were tax collectors
loathed because of their extortion of their countrymen but also
because they had betrayed Israel by collaborating with the Roman
oppressors. They were alienated by the people, living what must have
been lives of scorn and lonliness.
On
this day Jesus was passing through Jericho. The fame of this
itinerant rabbi had apparently reached Zacchaeus. Out of curiosity he
went out to see him but he was small in height and couldn't see over
the crowd. Not to be defeated in purpose he ran ahead and climbed
into a sycamore tree putting him above the throngs of people along
the road.
One
of the reasons this account resonates with me is the response of
Jesus when He saw Zacchaeus. Looking up He called him by name saying
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house
today” (vs 5). One can almost see the smile on Jesus' face and hear
the mirth and merriment in His voice. Zacchaeus climbed down and
joyfully received Jesus.
The
story of Zacchaeus ends gloriously. This very rich man said he would
give half of his goods to the poor and restore fourfold to anyone he
had defrauded, which had probably been many. He climbed up into a
tree to see Jesus and found the Kingdom of God even prompting the
LORD Jesus to joyfully exclaim “Today salvation has come to this house.”
There
is so much that can be spiritually gleaned from these verses. As you
meditate on them I'm sure many will come to mind. You never know the
impact your words, life, and love, can have on others. Some plant
seeds, others water and God makes it grow (1st
Corinthians 3:8). Perhaps many people had done just that for Zacchaeus, planting seeds that resulted in salvation for him and his house.
Your testimony may be seeds planted in a heart that
causes a searcher to climb into their own tree of investigation of the
Gospel and finding the Kingdom Of God. It happened to a despised tax collector and it
can happen to that particular person you have been praying for for
such a long time. Zacchaeus was a man that had been written off by
society but by climbing a tree to see Jesus found redemption. By doing
so he could be called the little man that did.
Ken
