Luke 19:1-6 Many people are quite enamored by celebrities. They fawn all over them and want to be there when they walk by. They try to snap a quick picture of them or get an autograph. Apparently it was no different in the First Century.
Jesus has garnered a following and some amount of fame and popularity. He is so well known that even wealthy people want to get a look at him.
How is Zacchaeus described? What did he want? How did he achieve this? What did Jesus do? How did Zacchaeus react?
I find the characters of this story interesting. We have Jesus, a teacher and prophet. He is the Son of God, but he is also a local celebrity. The crowds around him have grown as his popularity and fame increases.
Then we have Zacchaeus. He has a bit of fame himself. He is a tax collector, but not just any tax collector, some clerk of the government. He is the chief tax collector. He is wealthy.
This tax collector, a man well known in the area, wants to get a glimpse of a passing celebrity. His desire to see Jesus is so great that he is willing to climb a tree to see the man as he walks past.
But something surprising happens. The famous teacher stops at the tree and looks up. This celebrity, Jesus, wants to have dinner with this tax collector. Zacchaeus has gone to see Jesus, and Jesus – it seems – has come to find Zacchaeus.
And how does Zacchaeus react? He is delighted.
This simple story is one I learned as a child. And I have always felt that the story that was taught implied that Zacchaeus was a bad man. We know he collected taxes and we learn later that others considered him a sinner.
But he climbed a tree to see Jesus. He wanted to get a look at him. He didn’t climb the tree to jeer at Christ, or to spit on him, or to throw things. No, this man was looking for Jesus. And he quickly discovered Jesus was looking for him.
Do we look for Jesus? Are we seeking out the Christ? Do we want an encounter with the Lord, or would we rather hide in the crowd and remain anonymous?
Zacchaeus sought and found the Lord, and then discovered that Jesus was ready to encounter him. If we look for Jesus – if we try to understand the teachings of Christ found in the Bible, if we try to live the way we believe Jesus wants – we may find that Jesus is seeking an encounter with us too. Will we welcome that encounter gladly, as Zacchaeus did?
DAILY CHALLENGE: What trees do you need to climb to find Jesus?
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