Luke 19:2-4 NKJV
Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.
Jesus is passing by and a lot of people want to catch a glimpse of Him.
Zacchaeus was one of them. He had heard so much about Jesus, how he was teaching and changing lives, Zacchaeus had to see him. Jesus was passing by and today was his day. This man, Zacchaeus, though a Hebrew, worked for the Roman government as a tax collector and for that, his people hated him. Tax collectors were notorious for overtaxing people and stealing from them, and to think that one of their own would steal from them made them hate Zacchaeus even the more.
Interestingly, his name means pure, something contrary to what he was known for, no wonder he was desperate to see Jesus, he was so ready for a change. So here he was in the middle of a crowd pushing and shoving desperate to see Jesus, but he had a disadvantage, he was a short man. This was an opportunity and Zacchaeus was not about to let it slip by. He put away his pride and he did not allow his limitation to stop Him, he also cared not what people would say about him as long as He saw Jesus. He did the unthinkable, ran up ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to get a vantage point to see Jesus. Furthermore, he got creative and turned his disadvantage to an advantage. You can imagine a man of his stature, a rich man, running and climbing a tree, now that is something to laugh about. This is something you would expect a child to do and not a fully grown man. I am sure people thought he was crazy, others must have laughed at him, but he was not about to care what others thought of him. He was too desperate and in need, he put away his title and position and did what he needed to see Jesus. I wonder how desperate are you?
Amazingly, he was the only man in the crowd that Jesus dined and had fellowship with. Others went home that day talking about what happened and the fact that they saw Jesus, but Zacchaeus went home with Jesus and his life was forever changed.
Reflections.
What do you consider a limitation in your life as you serve God?
How can you turn your limitation into an advantage?
How desperate are you for change in your life, and what are you willing to do to attain it?
