Many reading this will remember the Sunday School song from childhood,

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...

This song contains in capsule form the great truth that Jesus went to be the house guest of Zacchaeus the day he passed by. What is it about this account that the Lord has placed it into the Bible? There are a few reasons that I would like you to consider with me to see that, though he was small in stature, Zacchaeus was truly someone who stood above the crowd.

To begin with, somehow Zacchaeus' interest was piqued when he learned that Jesus was coming by. What was it about Jesus that made Zacchaeus want to see him? Could it be his miracles? His sermons? Perhaps it was his love for publicans and sinners (Luke 15:1) that got his attention. Being a publican, Zacchaeus had little to do with his Jewish brethren – mainly because they had little to do with him. Publicans like Zacchaeus were employed by the local emissaries of Rome and were considered traitors by their countrymen. Though he was very rich, Zacchaeus was probably a lonely man. So when Jesus passed by, Zacchaeus wanted to get a glimpse.

However, here we run into the main problem Zacchaeus had – he was too short to see Jesus. There was nothing he could do about it; it was just a problem that he was born with. In a way, Zacchaeus typifies every person who has ever been born. Just as he could do nothing about his height, no one change the fact that he is born a sinner. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Just as Zacchaeus' height prevented him from seeing Jesus, our being born in sin prevents us from seeing Jesus.

In Part II we will look further at Zacchaeus' problem and how he overcame it. But before you leave this page, let me ask you a question. Have you come to grips with the fact that you are a sinner? Do you know personally that your sin has separated you from God? This is really a step of honesty. Unfortunately most people find it difficult to admit this fact and put off any hope of eternal life. Salvation is only to be found in Christ. The Bible tells us that “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Friend, trust Christ before it's too late. You will never be sorry you did.

     With love and gratitude,
     Pastor John Nichols