1 Jesus was going through the city of Jericho. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus, who was a very important tax collector, and he was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because he was too short to see above the crowd. 4 He ran ahead to a place where Jesus would come, and he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him. 5 When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.”
6 Zacchaeus came down quickly and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to complain, “Jesus is staying with a sinner!”
8 But Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “I will give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times more.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Salvation has come to this house today, because this man also belongs to the family of Abraham. 10 The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.”
Read Luke 19:1-10 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
The story of Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus is one of my favorites. I’m not entirely sure why, but one reason could be because I keep seeing interesting insights in these few verses. In today’s journal entry, I will point out one big idea that l love about this passage, and share an insight into Zacchaeus that you might not have noticed before.
Most every time I read this, I am amazed by the series of events, and how simply wanting to “see” Jesus results in the opportunity to “host” Jesus. Zacchaeus would probably have been content had Jesus stopped walking for a few moments while sharing a key thought in one of His teachings within earshot, but instead, Jesus stops and addresses him by name.
This is the thing that always amazes me: Jesus likes to positively surprise people.
What happens next is interesting. One of the most despised people in Jericho now becomes one of the most infamously popular. As Jesus is walking to Zacchaeus’ house, most of the crowd is torn, wishing they were one of Zacchaeus’ friends, but then at the same time just wishing that Jesus would have chosen a more respectable person to associate with.
But here in this story, Jesus is looking at hearts, not appearances, and Zacchaeus has a heart that is ripe for redemption. It is for this reason that Jesus positively surprises Him.
This idea makes me ask the question: How is my heart from God’s perspective? Is it in need of redemption?
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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