Getting Down from the Tree
Luke 19:1-10
February 25, 2024
Zacchaeus, hurry and come down,
for I must stay at your house today.
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Being a Christian is not a spectator sport. Jesus calls for us to follow him, not just look for and listen to him.
Zacchaeus wanted to know more about Jesus. Being a short little guy, he had to climb up a tree to catch sight of Jesus passing through because he couldn't see past all the people in front of him.
Jesus, seeing him, calls Zacchaeus by name and offers to spend time with him. Zacchaeus was then faced with a choice. Would he get out of the tree to be with Jesus, even if it would change his life? Would he be a spectator or a follower? Would he just talk about Jesus or would he live like Jesus?
Zacchaeus climbs down from the tree and immediately pledges half his possessions as well as to make restitution with anyone he defrauded.
Jesus reaches out to Zacchaeus, the despised chief tax collector, much to everybody's surprise. But the real surprise is that Jesus explains that type of thing is exactly his purpose, that he came to seek out and to save the lost."
