Zacchaeus Climbed a Sycamore Tree (Luke 19:1-10)

Zacchaeus Climbed a Sycamore Tree (Luke 19:1-10)

In the simple story of Zacchaeus, you may observe several facts.
First of all, what city did Zacchaeus live in?
Zacchaeus lived in the city of Jericho.
Jericho is located about 20 miles north from Jerusalem and the Arabic people live now.
There is a high mountain in Jericho where the Devil took Jesus to show all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor to tempt him.
Nowadays they call it Mt. Temptation.
About fourteen hundred years before Zacchaeus' time, the wall of Jericho was collapsed when Joshua and the Israelites marched around the city once for six days and seven times on the seventh day, with seven priests blowing the trumpets.
Although the city was destroyed, Rahab and her family who lived there were saved because of Rahab's faith in God.
After the destruction of Jericho, Joshua pronounced the solemn oath:
"Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to build this city."(Josh. 6:26)
So Jericho became a cursed city since then.
And Zacchaeus was a cursed person who was hated by people.
However, Jesus changed a cursed person in a cursed city into a blessed person in a blessed city when he arrived at Jericho and called him.
               
The second question from the story is "Who was Zacchaeus?" and "What job did he have?"
The meaning of his name is "the righteous one," but he was regarded by people as "the most unrighteous one."
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector.
What's wrong with that?
As a tax collector he was working for the Roman Government.
As a chief tax collector he would probably have collected more money from his countrymen than his coworkers.
The Jews hated tax collectors because they collected money from them even when they could not afford their living expenses.
Tax collectors sometimes threatened them, cheated them, beat them, and even killed them. They were one of the most hated people, if not the most hated people.
Yet, Jesus thought of them differently. To him, they were not the most hated people. They too were those who were to be saved.
As a matter of fact, Jesus called Matthew or Levi, a tax collector, to be one of his twelve apostles.

The third question from the story is "Why couldn't Zacchaeus see Jesus?"
It is because Zacchaeus was short in his height.
Besides, there was a great crowd following Jesus as he healed many patients, opened the eyes of blind people, exorcised demons from people, and fed many people.
We who want to see Jesus may have shortcomings as Zacchaeus had.
What are our shortcomings that prevent us from seeing Jesus clearly?
Zacchaeus' shortness in height was the internal obstacle.
The internal obstacles that we have are our worries, anxieties, and fear, or doubts.
The great crowd was the external obstacle that did not let Zacchaeus see Jesus clearly.
The external obstacles that we have are our circumstances--poverty or wealth for certain people, tough road, hurricanes or typhoons in our lives.
               
The fourth question is "What did Zacchaeus do so that he would be able to see Jesus?"
When you cannot see Jesus clearly due to whatever reasons, what would you do?
Would you just give up seeing Jesus?
Or would you try to do any attempts?
What did Zacchaeus do to remove the internal obstacle as well as the external obstacle?
He climbed up into a sycamore tree.
He seemed to be a relatively old guy, more than 50 years old, as he was a chief tax collector. But, he did not care his old age and his position of a chief tax collector as he desperately wanted to see Jesus.
Why did he want to see Jesus very much?
It was probably because he still felt short in his life even though he was a very rich man. He could not find the meaning of life.
He wanted to know for what he should live.

The fifth question from the story is "What did Jesus tell Zacchaeus?"
Jesus told Zacchaeus who was up on the tree:
"Zacchaeus, Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
Why did Jesus say to Zacchaeus, "Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
It was Jesus' invitation of Zacchaeus to salvation.
Jesus wanted to go to Zacchaeus' house to bring salvation there.

The sixth question from the story is "What was Zacchaeus' response?"
Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed him gladly(v. 6).
Even now Jesus keeps knocking at your door:
"Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door. I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
               
What was your response when Jesus called you?
Is there anybody here who has not received Jesus as your personal Savior yet?
Or is there anybody who is hesitating to open the door of your mind to accept him as your Lord?
Please open the door immediately as Zacchaeus did so that Jesus became your personal Savior.

The seventh question from the story is "What was people's reaction?"
They began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."
More often than not we judge other people by our own criteria and opinions.
By doing so we cannot understand God's plan for each individual.
Are we better than other people in righteousness and goodness when we judge them?
So, we should try not to judge anybody.

The eighth question from the story is "Who did Jesus say he came to save?"
Jesus came down here to this world to seek and to save what was lost (v. 10).
Who were we?
We were those who were once lost but found by Jesus like Zacchaeus.
We were miserable ones who were without God, without hope and did not know Jesus Christ.
But when we were found by Jesus Christ, we are now within God and have hope for the heavenly Kingdom.

Do you still have obstacles that prevent you from seeing Jesus clearly?
You need to climb up into a tree to see him well without any obstacles.
You need to remove the mist of doubts and the cloud of worries to see him better.
Do you see Jesus clearly?
Fix your eyes on Jesus always because he is your Savior and Lord, and your Life-Giver.
And praise and worship him always.