Two writing ago I mentioned redemption and Zacchaeus. He was a Jew who was “employed” by the other side, Rome. That did not make him popular with the Jews of whom he collected taxes. He was rich. Much of it came through fraud. That, again, gave the Jews reason to hate him…he had used his position to further his own agenda…a selfish one. Zacchaeus has much to say to us.
Then, one day, he heard that the extraordinary man called Yashua (the name by which the Jews knew the Lord) was coming down the road his direction. He wanted a look, but being a short person (I can identify with that), he knew he would not be able to see Him. His best laid plans which included power and prestige suddenly seemed less important to him. His ego took a back seat to a longing deep inside him. We have been talking about ego versus living in the light…here we have a wonderful visual aid. Watching this story happen must have been really interesting.
He wanted to see Messiah.
This is the same longing that can put each of us up a tree. Not content with seeing Yasuah from the ground perspective, he had to get a higher view…see more of what could be seen. The symbolism here is amazing. Have you ever been in a situation that gave you a distorted or partial view of our Lord? We can hear that He is in town and passing our way when we hear a different take on what He is all about or even suddenly a scripture gives us a different picture or understanding of things. We have grown up with the Bible stories, and that has given us one view (ground level) of the Lord. Suddenly, we have the same longing as Zacchaeus to have a bigger view.
The best laid plans have left us empty. Suddenly…up a tree looks preferable. It is good to know that the Lord knew that Zacchaeus was going to be in that tree. It is good to know that His “coming” was not accidental but intentional…to eat dinner at the house of Zacchaeus that evening. To give him a bread that was spiritual and emotional life for Zacchaeus. It changed his past in that he made restitution to those from whom he had stolen. It changed his present and his future.
Sometimes, we think that we have the answers to how life should be. At the end of the day, we may find ourselves preferring the view from the branches of the tree. When the Lord had dinner with him, Zacchaeus' view continued to change. His priorities changed. He changed. By beholding the Lord we change. That is a beautiful promise. Sometimes it means going out on a limb!
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