August 6, 2021 – Luke 18-21

We read these stories over and over again. And then, we read them, again. Zacchaeus could not see Jesus because of the crowd. Not only would he have been pushed to the back, but he was a small man. So, he ran ahead, found a tree along the way Jesus would walk, climbed it, and waited. He wanted to see Jesus. He really, really wanted to see Jesus. And so, he found a way. Isn’t that how it is with anyone who wants to see Jesus? That person will find a way.

See how the enemies of Jesus reacted to all this? “And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner’” (19:7). Jesus warned about these folks: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers” (20:46,47). But for Zacchaeus, and for us, oh my, how we rejoice that Jesus delights to be the guest of sinners! “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (19:10).

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

And a wee little man was he.

He climbed up in a sycamore tree

For the Lord he wanted to see.

And as the Savior passed that way

He looked up in the tree,

And he said, “Zacchaeus you come down,

For I’m going to your house today!”

For I'm going to your house today!

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

But a happy little man was he,

For he had seen the Lord that day

And a happy man was he;

And a very happy man was he.