Tax Collectors and Sycamore Trees

July 29, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
OK, after yesterday’s perspective, I will move on to something more serious; however, I have thus far passed my physical, which is a good thing. Thanks to all of you who offered prayers in my behalf, I know the Doc and his nurse appreciated them, as well.
As you probably remember, Zaccheus was one of Rome’s chief tax-gatherers, i.e. he was very good at collecting taxes for Rome, and he was, especially, good at skimming enough off the top to make a good profit for himself; consequently, the Roman government loved him, and he was rich, as in filthy rich—literally. “And behold, there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus, and he was a chief tax-gatherer, and he was rich” (Luke 19:2 NASB).
The next verses really intrigue me: “And he was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. And he ran on ahead and climbed into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way” (vss. 3-4). Can you imagine Warren Buffet climbing up into a tree because he wanted so desperately to see Jesus? I am of the opinion that most of the folk in the crowd thought Zaccheus had lost his mind; a rich man sitting in a tree is enough in and of itself to make the Daily New headlines, but sitting there because he wanted to see Jesus, is quite another.
Have you ever wondered why this rich, tax collector, Zaccheus, wanted so badly to see Jesus? I mean, gosh, he had plenty of money, lots of job security, and Rome loved him (well, they loved the money he collected). Why was he so driven to see Jesus, that he made himself look foolish, sitting above the crowd in a sycamore tree?
I am of the opinion that he wanted to see Jesus for the same reason anyone wants to see Jesus—Jesus first wanted to see him. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). You think about that, then read this: “And 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’” (vs. 5). I love the next verse: “And he hurried and came down, and received Him gladly” (vs. 6).
For some reason, I am wondering if you are in a hurry to see Jesus, if you are in a hurry to know who He really is, so much so that you are willing to make yourself look foolish, if that is what it takes.
I will say this: If you are, you are because He is in a hurry to see you, so make haste and come on down—