THE WORD 4 ev 1

Today’s reading is Luke 19 (click here for link).

I always laugh a little when I review the story of the “wee little man” in the Greek. Traditionally, we always see Zacchaeus as a short man who was forced to climb a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus over the crowd. But, in the Greek, it is hard to tell exactly who the “wee little man” was. Did Zacchaeus climb the tree because he was too short to see over the crowd or is it the case that Jesus was short and could not be seen by Zacchaeus except from the vantage point of a sycamore tree?

I bet you have never considered Jesus the short one, have you?

Well… I think I will stick with the traditional interpretation. What really matters is that things change when Zacchaeus meets Jesus. The text says, “He wanted to see who Jesus was…” All he had in mind was getting a better glimpse of a celebrity who happened to be in town. But Zacchaeus got more than he bargained for. He got to see Jesus! Exactly WHO he was—the Son of God and a personal Savior from the corrupting power of sin!

Sin had ruined much of Zacchaeus’ life and reputation; perhaps, without him ever really realizing it—that is, until he meets Jesus. In this “little” story, the Gospel of salvation through grace in Jesus and the resultant sanctification of our lives blends together, beautifully. Do we mirror Zacchaeus on both sides?

Yes… Jesus has come to seek and save the lost. Zacchaeus was lost in more ways than he knew. True meaning and value and purpose for his life had never been realized until he met the ONE who would conquer even death with power of resurrection life.

May we all climb the occasional trees of life, see above the fray, and catch a better glimpse of our Lord.

Like Zacchaeus, I want to see Jesus.
Pastor Aaron