HE RECEIVED HIM JOYFULLY
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Luke 19:2-6 |
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There was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who He was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see Him: for He was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, “Zacchaeus make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” And he made haste, and came down, and received Him joyfully. KJV |
A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly. NIV |
The story of Zacchaeus is very interesting because in the previous chapter of Luke, Jesus tells us that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God, and Zacchaeus was rich. There are, however, other things about him I would like to consider. He was:
- A Publican.
- A Jewish citizen who had purchased the right to collect money for the Romans.
- Hated by his fellow citizens because they considered him a traitor.
- The Chief Tax Collector and collected taxes for the Roman Empire.
We are told that Zacchaeus was not tall, in fact we are specifically told that he was short and that to be able to see Jesus he would have to gain some height, and to do so he would have to run on ahead of the crowds and climb a tree to be able to see! I don’t know about you, but I have been trying to picture this little man, this very important man whom everybody would know and recognise, running and dodging around the crowds of people making a dash for a tree and then actually climbing it and perching himself on a branch so that when Jesus passed he would be able to see Him. Imagine what the neighbours would think! Here was this very important man whom everybody hated, cheating many if the truth be known, to pay the Romans, clinging to a branch of a sycamore tree waiting for Jesus to pass by.
There is a lesson for us in this story because it describes more people than you might think. Even if it was just mere curiosity that drove Zacchaeus to catch a glimpse of Jesus, he went ahead and did it. He was not ashamed of what he did, even given his position in the community and what others might whisper about him. His act of faith did not go unnoticed because Jesus looked up and told him to come down from the tree and invited Himself into his house, and Zacchaeus received the Lord joyfully!
- Have you heard that Jesus is coming?
- Are you curious about Him?
- Have you made an effort to find out more about Him?
- Have you put aside previous prejudices and preconceptions about Jesus Christ and made up your mind to find out the truth for yourself?
Our verses of Scripture today tell us of a man called Zacchaeus who could answer YES to all of the above questions, and despite what everyone around him thought, he made up his mind to receive Jesus into his life. Won’t you do the same? Come to the Saviour whilst He is around. He may not pass your way again!