Luke 19:3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.
Typically when I read this section, my focus is on Jesus and His reaction to Zacchaeus, but much can be learned by studying Zacchaeus in this passage. 1. He was short but determined. He couldn’t see over the road so he climbed a tree. 2. He wasn’t concerned with what others thought. If he were, he probably wouldn’t have climbed the tree, wouldn’t have met Jesus, wouldn’t have changed.
Luke 19:4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
3. He was actively seeking Jesus. His curiosity wasn’t just hypothetical. He put his searching into action. 4. He responded to Jesus’s invitation. He could have said, “I’m good. I was just curious.” Instead, he acted and acted differently than he had in the past. 5. He made amends. Zacchaeus knew what he had done, knew what he needed to do to follow Christ. He made a commitment to follow Him and make amends.
Luke 19:8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Lord, Thank You for seeing Zacchaeus and all those who actively seek You. Help me to be active and determined yet humble as I seek You daily. Help me respond daily to Your invitation of faith. Help me to make amends when I do not treat others as I should. Renew my heart, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
Luke 19:9-10 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Have a blessed day.