1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
Following on the heels of Jesus’ statement in Luke Chapter 18 regarding the difficulty for the rich to enter God’s Kingdom, we find these hopeful and refreshing verses. Zacchaeus, a wealthy “chief” sinner (tax collector) stands as a fitting contrast to the rich young ruler whom Scripture tells us:
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Luke 18:23-25 (NIV)
In our verses for today we are presented through Zacchaeus a wonderful picture of the wealthy and influential literally running after Jesus. I am reminded of the verses in Isaiah which speak to God’s faithfulness of the repentant of heart returning:
18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; 20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 1:18-20 (NIV)
“The Lord offered complete forgiveness to the repentant, but promised judgment on the rebels who continued to reject Him. The people had the mistaken idea that they could live any way they pleased so long as they made restitution in the sacrificial system. But instead of trusting in religious ritual the people were to obey God and have the right attitudes toward Him and the right actions toward others. The people needed to be clean inwardly (like a murderer washing his bloodstained hands). And they needed to replace their evil deeds with right actions.” Bible Knowledge Commentary
This is certainly reminiscent of what the prophet Jeremiah states regarding this very subject:
9 "'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"--safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD. Jer 7:9-11 (NIV)
21 "'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. Jer 7:21-24 (NIV)
Zacchaeus, on the other hand, is running full throttle towards his Lord. He has heard about this Jesus and now he wants to see with his own eyes. I am reminded of the end of Job after his encounter with God which gave Job greater spiritual insight deepening his perspective of and appreciation for God:
5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." Job 42:5-6 (NIV)
Having gained insight into God’s ways and character—His creative power and genius, His sovereign control, and His providential care and love—Job confessed his own unworthiness and repented. I despise myself means he rejected his former accusations of God spoken in pride. God had already rebuked Job for indicting, faulting, and discrediting Him. Job then repented in dust and ashes, a way of expressing his self-deprecation. Throwing dust in the air so that it came down on one’s head and sitting in or near ashes or with ashes on one’s body were signs of a humbled condition. Having grieved over his losses, Job now grieved over his sin. Bible Knowledge Commentary
When one truly encounters Jesus, one is never the same. This is why Paul so clearly tells us:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV)
Are there any obstacles in our lives that keep us from having an encounter with our Lord? Perhaps like Zacchaeus we have certain “limitations” which get in our way getting to Jesus. Do we find it hard to meet with Him on a consistent basis, disregarding the Word of God which He so highly esteems? Do we neglect prayer consumed with the tyranny of the urgent rather than spend time with the One who controls all things? Are we apathetic to the rigors of obedience to His revealed will choosing rather to go our own way? Just how much effort are we putting forth to overcome these bumps in the road? In an almost childlike faith, Zacchaeus ran, Zacchaeus climbed a tree. He serves as a wonderful example for us to the following verse:
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. Jer 29:12-14 (NIV)