"And, behold, there was a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner."
Luke 19:2-7
This is a great story. Zacchaeus wants to see Christ, and he climbs a tree because he is too short to see him through the crowd. But when Jesus gets near to where he is, in the tree, he tells him that he has to stay at his house, and Zacchaeus is happy to have him.
It's sad that after this happened, everyone is weirded out because they think Zacchaeus is a sinner. There is so much more here that is way more interesting than that. For instance, even though Zacchaeus didn't know who Jesus was, and wanted to see him, how did Jesus know who he was and know him on sight, or even know that anyone was up in the tree, or that the strange person in the tree would have a house that would be perfect to stay at? It is another clear indication of Christ's divinity, or at least his close relationship with God, but no one in the crowd is concerned with that part... only that Jesus might be staying with a sinner.
We similarly focus on the totally wrong things sometimes, don't we? We worry about whether or not other people are bad or good rather than focusing on Christ. We don't always see the long series of small miracles in our lives, because we are too caught up in our own biases or judgments, looking for the wrong things.
Today, let's be as excited to see and welcome Christ into our homes as Zacchaeus was. And let's focus on the good, as Christ did. Let's stop being part of the murmuring crowd, and instead work on seeing the miracles all around us.
And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner."
Luke 19:2-7
This is a great story. Zacchaeus wants to see Christ, and he climbs a tree because he is too short to see him through the crowd. But when Jesus gets near to where he is, in the tree, he tells him that he has to stay at his house, and Zacchaeus is happy to have him.
It's sad that after this happened, everyone is weirded out because they think Zacchaeus is a sinner. There is so much more here that is way more interesting than that. For instance, even though Zacchaeus didn't know who Jesus was, and wanted to see him, how did Jesus know who he was and know him on sight, or even know that anyone was up in the tree, or that the strange person in the tree would have a house that would be perfect to stay at? It is another clear indication of Christ's divinity, or at least his close relationship with God, but no one in the crowd is concerned with that part... only that Jesus might be staying with a sinner.We similarly focus on the totally wrong things sometimes, don't we? We worry about whether or not other people are bad or good rather than focusing on Christ. We don't always see the long series of small miracles in our lives, because we are too caught up in our own biases or judgments, looking for the wrong things.
Today, let's be as excited to see and welcome Christ into our homes as Zacchaeus was. And let's focus on the good, as Christ did. Let's stop being part of the murmuring crowd, and instead work on seeing the miracles all around us.
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