Today’s Scripture passage from the Gospel of Luke is an account of a man that many of us should be familiar with, that of Zacchaeus. Many of us grew up in Sunday School singing a song about him, or perhaps if we led Sunday School or Children’s Church, we taught the youngsters the song “Zacchaeus Was A Wee Little Man”. Let’s look into the life of this man who little children like to sing about. There is much more we can learn, besides the fact that he was “a wee little man”.
As our Scripture begins, Jesus was visiting the city of Jericho, and was on His way towards Jerusalem (vs. 1). Word would have quickly spread through the city of His visit, and Zacchaeus heard the news. Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of Jericho, which was an important and prestigious position. Jericho was a rather prosperous city at the time of Jesus, as it was a flourishing trading center, and an important stop along several trade routes. As the chief tax collector, probably with other people working under him, Zacchaeus was very rich (vs. 2). However, with that wealth also came a huge stigma, as tax collectors were especially hated by the Jewish community. Nobody likes to pay taxes, and thus being a tax collector is never popular. They were particularly hated by the Jews, as the taxes were collected for Rome, the conquering overlords of the land. Also, they frequently would extort as much money as they possibly could from the people, keeping for themselves whatever wasn’t owed to the Romans. Zacchaeus was not liked by the citizenry of the city, and was probably a lonely man, despite his vast wealth.
Zacchaeus quite likely had heard about Jesus, had heard talk around town of His miracles, and possibly even heard about a few of His messages and teachings. Though he undoubtedly was a scoundrel and had gained a lot of his wealth dishonestly, the Holy Spirit was working in the heart of this man, making him spiritually unsettled and longing for peace. So when Zacchaeus heard that Jesus had come to town, he wanted to see this Preacher.
However, there was a problem. As Luke tells us, Zacchaeus was a short man (vs. 3). As the crowds gathered in the street, he could not see past them. Being an unpopular person, no one was going to move aside to let him get to the front, so he came up with a plan. Zacchaeus climbed up into a tree by the roadside, and sat on one of the lower limbs, thus getting a good view of the street, and of Jesus when he would pass by (vs. 4). This would have been a rather undignified thing for a man of his position and wealth to do, but the spiritual hunger of his soul led him, and it ended up being one of the best decisions he ever made.
What happened next surprised and shocked everyone, not the least of whom was Zacchaeus. As Jesus passed by, He looked up into the tree and called Zacchaeus by name, telling him to come down because He was going to have dinner with him! (vs. 5-6). Jesus saw something in Zacchaeus that only God can see in a person. He saw the man he could be. This tax collector’s transformation was dramatic. He not only accepted Jesus as the Messiah and his Savior, but he turned his life around, willingly giving back the money he took falsely, and also giving half of everything he had to the poor (vs. 8).
Zacchaeus’ willingness to make restitution was proof that his conversion was genuine. It was the fruit, not the condition, of his salvation. His salvation came not because he returned a large part of his riches, but because he received the grace and mercy of Jesus, and it changed the way he lived.
Jesus noticed Zacchaeus. Perhaps not many else on the street knew he was up in the tree, or would have cared, but Jesus did. There may be times in our lives when we feel invisible, and we may hear about the great things Jesus is doing for others, but have a hard time seeing or believing that He might notice us. No matter who we are, or what we may have done, Jesus can see us, and wants to invite Himself into our lives.
When it seems that no one knows us, or cares who we are, remember that Jesus does. He knows us by name, and longs for us to know Him in a personal way. Our Father in heaven sees us through His eyes of love, just as He saw Zacchaeus up in the tree, a soul who needed Him, and He cares about every detail of our life. Everything that happened that day for Zacchaeus was orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. A hungry, seeking heart will always find the Lord.
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