Joshua 16:1-18:28
Luke 19:1-27
Psalm 87:1-7
Proverbs 13:11
Luke 19:3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
Zacchaeus, a tax collector wanted to see Jesus. Being hated and short would make it impossible for him to be able to get to Jesus in a crowd. But that didn't stop him. He was resourceful and determined. He sprinted ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree so that he could get a better view. He could have used his height as an excuse to just sit back and see and hear what he could from the back of the crowd. He could have been content to just know about Jesus and not worry about getting to KNOW Jesus.
What obstacles make it difficult for you to get close to or to see Jesus? It could be a personal physical issue that you have no control over. For Zacchaeus it was his stature, maybe for you it is your physical or mental health which keeps you from being able to get out of your house. Maybe it's that you don't like to read so you don't read your bible. It could be that you don't have a church or that you don't know many people in your church. Have you allowed an obstacle to enable you to sit back and only see or hear what you can without any extra effort. Have you become complacent and content with just knowing about Jesus instead of getting to KNOW Jesus? If so take this lesson from this short, sinful tax collector. Get resourceful! Don't settle for a back seat view of Jesus. There are so many trees out there to climb. How do you get to KNOW Jesus? You pray, get involved in church and bible study, spend time in fellowship with people who are also looking to KNOW Jesus. No matter where you are or what state you are in you can always pray. You can also get into the bible in so many ways now. If you can't or don't like to read, listen to it. If you don't have a church get out and visit every church in your area till you find the one that you can see Jesus in. Are you physically unable to get out of your home? There are online church services and bible studies. Better yet invite people into your home and do a bible study together. Reach out to a local church and ask for a visit from the pastor. If you have a church don't just sit in the pew on Sunday morning and go home. Get involved in a small group, attended fellowship events, join some groups of service. Find the people in the church who help you to see and hear Jesus because they too are looking to do the same.
Zacchaeus may not have been thinking that climbing the tree would make him more easily seen as well. Or if he was aware of it he didn't care. It did make it so Jesus could see him as well as all the other onlookers. It is great that Jesus saw him and called out to him and said that He needed to stay a Zacchaeus' house. But all the Jews who were there saw him as well. They also heard what Jesus said and they were horrified that He would even consider being the guest in the house of a sinner. If he had been listening to the world, he would never have climbed that tree and Jesus could have walked right on by. He knew the depth of his sin, but it didn't keep him away. In fact, it is what drove him on to look for a way to get to Jesus. Don't let your own or other people's opinions of you stop you from pursuing God. There is no sin so great that the God of the universe who created all things including you cannot forgive. There is nothing that you can do that can make Him love you any less. Pursue Him like you know that to be true. Don't listen to the world because what Jesus say's about is all that matters.
Luke 19:8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Even when the people were complaining about his sinfulness, Zacchaeus did not get angry or try to defend himself. He knew what all the people were upset about. He knew that he had done wrong and it drove him to repentance. In the light of Jesus love and righteousness he was willing to change his ways and go in the opposite direction from what he had been doing.
Luke 19:9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
If your sin has come to your attention with such intensity that you are tempted to not seek God this is the time to acknowledge it and turn from it not from Jesus. He has come to "seek and to save the lost" so climb up that tree and turn from the sin that you are lost in and you too will be saved.
This was a message meant for many, I’m sure, but it hit home with me in a big way. I need to climb my tree and see Jesus. 🙏