Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
Luke 19:3-7 (NASB)
I recently remembered a time in my past when I met occasionally with an individual who was hard work. They attended church sporadically and often spoke critically of things. Those who knew them tended to avoid meeting them if possible and did not have many kind words about them with others. I found myself being convicted by the Word of God for following the crowd regarding this person; I was not doing what Jesus would do (WWJD?).
The story of Zaccheus, the chief tax collector from Jericho, is a classic case that applies here. Zaccheus didn’t have a lot going in his favor; he was the most hated of the tax collectors – the man in charge of collecting taxes for the Roman authorities. You also find in the text that he was not a nice guy either; defrauding folk at every opportunity. To say that people hated him is probably an understatement of the facts; yet in our text today, Zaccheus finds a friend – Jesus Christ! This is not an isolated incident; Jesus had a reputation for befriending the friendless in society, often the most despised and rejected. The reason for Jesus doing this can be found in His words: “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
(Luke 19:9-10)
Dear Reader, our Lord and Saviour came to seek and save sinners – He did not come to seek the religious, good, or nice folk. Very often those who need saving are the most unlovely in society – they can be hard work. Those whom society rejects, are who Jesus seeks and accepts. Who do we know that is hard work? Why not show them some love, following the example of Jesus with Zaccheus?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
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