This is one of the great moments of Jesus in the Bible. Zacchaeus was a tax collector in Jericho. He heard Jesus was going to go through Jericho.
While Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector, his physical statue was not tall. Hearing that Jesus was coming through Jericho, Zacchaeus thought, ‘How could I see Jesus?’
Then, he remembered a sycamore tree that he might climb. We need to remember Zacchaeus was not wearing “jeans or dress pants.” It would have been a challenge for him to climb the tree.
As Zacchaeus was now in the tree, he noted Jesus was coming close. This is where Zacchaeus would have a surprise! Jesus stopped right near the tree and looked up in the sycamore tree. Their eyes made contract and Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”
Now the people walking with Jesus knew this short man Zacchaeus and that he was the cheating tax collector for the Roman government. While the people expressed surprise at Jesus, Zacchaeus came down. He went to Jesus and made a promise.
The promise to Jesus was he would help the poor in Jericho with half of all his money and he would pay back to any person he had cheated. Now, the people were shocked by this turn of events! This was the was after all the “tax collector.”
This was unlike the rich young ruler who had asked Jesus about what he needed to do to be saved. Remember, Jesus told the rich young ruler he would need to part with his wealth and follow him. With that answer the rich young ruler walked away “sadness since he would not give his wealth.”
This was not the direction that Zacchaeus selected. Coming to Jesus with open hands, Jesus told Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this (your) house...”
Jesus turned to the crowd telling them, “For the son of man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
This is the “good news” from this moment in the life of Jesus. He has come for “us” who are broken, in pain, in sickness, in an upside down world, in a world all alone and empty people.
Our conditions cannot be filled or have any lasting peace without His answer. Jesus answers for all people that He came to “seek out and save the lost.”
Each Sunday in our country, fewer and fewer people come together to worship and share in the fellowship of the faithful. The bright adds, slogans, pictures and music in the world have many people believing they have discovered something to fill their lives. But this is not true!
The news tells us different every day. There is more and more bad news. There is more and more sad news. There are more and more people who have not found the answer to their life with worldly goods.
Zacchaeus had great wealth, but he knew that he was not satisfied with life. When he went to see Jesus, it was the inner part of him crying out for peace grace, and mercy for the life he was living.
While I have not climbed any trees, I have found Jesus on many walks in the southern Iowa hills. I have found Jesus in the people around me in the church. I have worked to know Jesus. I have given Jesus and myself time to grow and understand the steps that Jesus has taken to reach me on this faith journey in life.
I invite you to discover this “journey of faith” in the church every Sunday. Making friends with others who know that they need to be having Jesus will give you strength.
Jesus knows your name. The door is open to meet Him. I invite you to discover the tree you need to climb to discover the grace, mercy and love He has planned to give you.