If you grew up in church, you will likely remember singing, “Zacchaeus
was a wee little man and a wee little man was he…” The story behind that song
is found in Luke 19. Jesus is passing through Jericho. An incredible crowd has
gathered to see Jesus, but one man in the crowd desires to see Jesus more than
anyone. His name is Zacchaeus. We are told three things about Zacchaeus; he was
a chief tax collector, he was rich, and he was small in stature (vs. 2-3).
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so desperately that he ran
ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree. Not exactly a dignified action for a
rich man who is trying to keep up a certain reputation. However, his behavior
is rewarded when Jesus sees him and says, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for
I must stay at your house today” (v. 5).
This story causes me to ask myself a question; how bad do I
want to see Jesus? How bad do you want to see Jesus? Of course, I’m spiritualizing
the story a bit and essentially applying it to believers, but what extent would
we go to in order to get a fresh glimpse of our Lord? How much time are we
willing to spend in prayer? How serious are we willing to get about Bible
study? What sin are we willing to step out of through repentance? All good
things for us to consider.
We learn of Zacchaeus that he was willing to go the whole way.
Scripture tells us his response to Christ, “Behold Lord, the half of my goods I
give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it
fourfold” (v. 8). That’s quite a commitment. However, those are the words of a
man who is serious about truly seeing his Lord.
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