A
very wealthy chief tax collector named Zaccheaus wanted to see Jesus. But he
had a challenge. Multitudes always thronged around Jesus and because Zacchaeus
was of short stature, it would be a herculean task to see Jesus standing.
Despite the challenge, Zacchaeus was undaunted. He was determined to see Jesus
and no one would stop him. So he put his creative juices to task to come up
with the best possible way of seeing Jesus despite his height advantage. He
spotted a sycamore tree ahead, quickly ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up
into the tree just so he could see Jesus.
God
noticed and Jesus also noticed for it was not a coincidence that Jesus looked
up at the tree and saw Zacchaeus. Jesus also asked Zacchaeus to hurry up and
come down from the tree so that He would visit with Zaccheaus. The Bible
records that Zacchaeus hastily came down from the tree, received Jesus joyfully
and most importantly, Zaccheaus received salvation. What constituted a
challenge that could have hindered his divine encounter with Jesus actually
turned out to be a stepping stone as Zaccheaus creatively navigated his way out
of it. His strategic position on top of the tree made him a city set on a hill
that cannot be hidden. Please see Matthew Chapter 5 verse 14. Jesus saw him, the
multitudes saw him and he became the cynosure of all eyes when Jesus asked him
to come down from the tree so He could visit with him.
