God’s grace, love and power – Day 9

We have talked about the tax collector, Zacchaeus, before. He wanted to see Jesus and climbed onto a tree, along the route that Jesus followed. Jesus, as it appears from Matthew 21:31-32, was apparently on good terms with the tax collectors and prostitutes. This was probably the reason why Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus in the flesh too.

Perhaps, Zacchaeus was just curious. I do not think he really had a deeper spiritual need to see Jesus. What is true is that when he saw Jesus, from the tree where he sat, he found a whole new life. Was he looking for Jesus? I do not think so. In fact, he had other motives that are not clear to us. But in the process, he found Jesus.

The reason why Zacchaeus found Jesus was because Jesus was looking for Zacchaeus. When Jesus and the group passed by the tree where Zacchaeus was sitting, Zacchaeus did not call for Jesus’ attention. No, because this was not the reason why Zacchaeus was sitting in the tree. He wanted to see Jesus, but he did not really want to get that close to him.

However, Jesus decided to call out to Zacchaeus. It is noteworthy that Jesus called him by his name. We are not just faces in a crowd. To him, we are people whom he knows by name. He wants to be part of our personal lives, even today. “Hurry down, Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today” (Luke 19:5). Zacchaeus, I stand at the door of your heart, open the door to your heart for me, today.