Zacchaeus was a man of little stature….in other words, he was short…. but he was excited. Jesus was in town. He had heard about Jesus and the miracles he had done, so hoped to see for himself what all the fuss was about. Zacchaeus was a leader among the publicans, but being a tax collector and very rich, he was hated by the Jews. Tax collectors would take whatever you owned, crops, cattle, even your children, if you didn’t pay what was owed.
On this day, Zacchaeus tried to push himself through the crowd, to get a glimpse of Jesus, but the others were so much taller than him, it was impossible. Seeing a sycamore tree close by, he climbed up into it. Just then, he heard someone call his name. He looked down to see Jesus looking up at him. “Zacchaeus, he said, “make haste and come down, for today I’m going to your house.”
Zacchaeus hurried down and greeted Him joyfully.
Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord; “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said unto him, “This day is salvation come to this house….10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.”
How excited Zacchaeus must have been to have Jesus come to his house.
What I like about this story is that Jesus knew Zacchaeus wanted to see Him, so He met him at the sycamore tree. Jesus knows when we’re ready for salvation and is there as soon as we accept Him for who He is….our Lord and Savior.
How long has it been since you got excited about Jesus?
With the trend today being one of anti-religion and so many trying to take God out of our society, we need more than ever to get excited about our faith and about our God. It is not just any god that we serve, but the one true God….who is able to save our souls, forgives our sins and allows us an opportunity for a new life in Him. Take a minute to remember the moment you were saved and realized the love God felt for you….then, get excited!
In the story of Zacchaeus, the Jews, who were trying to find fault, grumbled about the fact that Jesus was going to be the guest of a man who was a sinner. That’s why Jesus came….to hang out with us sinners and to teach us a better way. John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
I pray God’s people will get excited about our salvation and spread the word that Jesus saves. As we go about our daily lives, in all our interactions with others, let’s not be bashful or afraid of ridicule…. Let’s get excited about Jesus!
Well said!!!