He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since he was about to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.” (19:1-5)
I love this story and can remember singing the song “Zacchaeus was a wee little man” to all of my children when they were just toddlers. Most of us know the story from this song and from Vacation Bible school, but we often miss the point of the story. We tend to focus on the details of how he wanted to see Jesus and was unable to do so because of his height. He couldn’t get past the crowd to get a glimpse of the Messiah, so he runs ahead of the crowd that is passing through the city to a tree and climbs up the tree to see Jesus as He is passing by. We tend to make the story about the desire of Zacchaeus to be with Jesus, but the deeper truth is that Jesus also wanted to be with him.
Jesus was actually hunting Zacchaeus that day, and He came straight to that tree and said, “Zacchaeus, come down because I must come to your house.” This was not a meandering journey through Jericho without purpose. No, this was a rescue mission because Jesus had chosen this wicked little tax collector before the foundation of the world, and He was there because of a “divine appointment.” Even the desire that Zacchaeus had to see Jesus (and the desire that we have to know Him) is a work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. None of us naturally want to leave our sinful ways and follow Him… He calls us and He orchestrates the circumstances so that we are ready when we hear and understand that call.
The key verse is that very last verse in the story, vs. 10. The whole story comes together when we read, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” (19:10) Before Zacchaeus even heard that Jesus was coming, Jesus knew him and had a plan to seek and save him. The same can be said for every sinner who has ever repented; regardless of how old or young, short or tall… our God is a God who chose us, died for us, sought us and saved us. Of all the people in that crowd that day, God’s grace was evident in the life of a sinful tax collector named Zacchaeus. Perhaps others came to Christ that day whom we don’t read about, but Luke included this story in his gospel to remind us that it’s not about who you are or how good you are; it’s about how good God is and the grace He shows us through His Son.
