Meeting Jesus - Living On Mission
If you spent any season of your life investing in children’s ministry, serving in Vacation Bible School or kid’s Sunday school, you might be familiar a man who climbed a tree to see Jesus.
Zacchaeus.
If you are familiar with Zacchaeus, you may remember a song/rhyme….
Zacchaeus was a wee little man.
And a wee little man was he.
He Climbed up in a sycamore tree.
For the Lord he wanted to see.
A child’s understanding of Zaccheus is pretty innocent. He was a short little guy who climbed a tree to see Jesus. The “adult version” is understood a bit differently. Zacchaeus wasn’t a wee little man…he was a big giant jerk. Everyone hated him. He was not trusted. He was an extortionist.
Zacchaeus was considered a collaborator with the government of Rome, who was oppressing the Jewish people and often viewed as a traitor. He would compete against other Tax Collectors and would place a bid with the Romans to win the opportunity to be the Chief Tax Collector. If he thought the taxes would be a million dollars, he would give the Roman Government the Million Dollars – and then over the next year, the tax collectors that worked for him would use the power of the Roman Soldiers to squeeze enough taxes from the Jewish people to earn Zacchaeus and the Tax Collector, a substantial profit…
Since the Jewish People considered the Roman Government as “occupiers” in the land they were forced to pay taxes to; they considered the tax collectors who worked for Rome as unfaithful, disloyal, and betrayers of the Jewish people. The Jewish people did not like the Roman Government ruling over them – and for Zacchaeus to make his money off the Jewish people while collecting taxes for Rome…it just didn’t sit right with people.
He had betrayed them, but if people complained, he had the power and influence of the Roman soldiers on his side. Year after year, Zacchaeus was viewed as a betrayer of the Jewish people, a thief protected by the Roman Government, and a jerk.
Luke 19:1-10 (NLT2)
1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Short, hated, and filthy rich. I think the most important lesson from this passage is for each of us to understand one simple truth:
Believe: Only you can prevent yourself from following Jesus.
For Zacchaeus to have this encounter with Jesus, he had to overcome some obstacles. He was shorter than others, and he could not see above their heads. The crowd was certainly not going to do him any favors by allowing him through. So Zacchaeus tucked his robes around his waist, took off running, his stubby legs a blur, and ran to the front of the crowd and climbed a tree. When I was a child, I climbed trees all the time. As a dad, I have climbed a tree with my kids maybe once or twice.
He was already despised. He was short…and now he was climbing a tree. In order to overcome the obstacles that were in his way, Zacchaeus placed himself in an awkward position and climbed a tree.
Think of the optics. He was already short like a child, and now he is climbing a tree like a child. Children climb trees. Not adults. Children. Zacchaeus would be hearing about this for a very long time. Wisecracks would follow.
If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, maybe you had to face some obstacles of awkwardness, too. Maybe you began to tell others about your decision to follow Jesus; they laughed at you, put you down, or stopped talking to you.
After I surrendered my life to Jesus, I told my Nana; she told me I was brainwashed. Awkward.
I told the men I worked construction with. One said, “Oooh, now you are a fairy Jesus follower, huh?” Awkward.
When I surrendered my life to Jesus, I was immediately changed – and I was convinced every person would want to experience forgiveness of sins, a relationship with God, and a transformed heart. I was wrong. But I did not allow what others thought about my decision to prevent me from following Jesus.
Let me ask you a rhetorical question: “Are you allowing something else to prevent you from becoming a follower of Jesus?”
Maybe your spouse doesn’t want you to follow Jesus.
Maybe your parents do not want you to leave the faith you grew up in to follow Jesus.
Maybe you are concerned you will have to walk away from your occupation if you become a follower of Jesus.
The only thing that can prevent you from becoming a follower of Jesus is YOU. Don’t worry about your spouse, your parents, your job, or your children. Don’t worry about your past; don’t worry about your future. Do whatever it takes to follow Jesus today. If you believe that God created you and wants a relationship with you. If you believe that sin in your life prevents you from having that relationship with God. If you believe that Jesus’ death on the cross forgave your sins and removed the barrier between you and God. If you believe that Jesus rose from the dead and will one day return…
Then let today be the day you stop letting YOU get in the way and surrender your life to Jesus.
And – if you are already a follower of Jesus, or you become a follower of Jesus today,
Respond: Live a changed life!
It is important to note that in past encounters, when a notorious sinner came to Jesus – it was the Jewish Leaders – the Pharisees, that would complain about Jesus associating with sinful people. But in this passage, it wasn’t just the religious leaders complaining about Zacchaeus; now, it was EVERYBODY! Look again at verse 7, “But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
Zacchaeus heard the people grumbling about him. “What is this jerk doing this close to Jesus? He doesn’t belong here, and we don’t like him!”
Zacchaeus understood their complaints. He had been a cheater, a betrayer, a swindler, and a no-good, corrupt tax collector. The feast his household was preparing for Jesus came at the cost of the Jewish people. His home, the servants, his land, his barns…
He had wealth because he betrayed the Jewish people and took more money than he should have from them. But Zacchaeus’ next words from his mouth demonstrate the same type of life-changing power of Jesus that is available to you and me today. He was supernaturally changed!His desire to hoard, steal, and cheat others was no longer in his heart. Now, he wanted to bless and give generously. In verse 8. “Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
This was not the same man he had been five minutes before. At some point – whether in the tree when Jesus looked at him or in a conversation with Jesus – Zacchaeus had surrendered his life to Jesus. The Apostle Paul describes what happens to a person on the inside when they surrender their lives to Jesus:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT2)
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Zacchaeus’ life demonstrates he had been transformed from the inside out. His desire to betray the Jewish people was transformed into a desire for loyalty. His desire for greed was transformed into generosity. His response to Jesus accepting him was to live a radically changed life. So, you surrendered your life to Jesus. How are you living out a changed life?
The best thing you can do is to…
Prioritize: Embrace Jesus' mission to seek and save.
Jesus was very clear about his purpose in life.
Whenever people criticized him regarding the people he spent time with –
The notorious sinners…
The tax collectors…
The scum of the earth…
Whenever he was criticized, he always explained that he was on a mission to seek and save the lost. If you are a follower of Jesus – there is nothing greater that you and I can do than to prioritize the mission of Jesus in our lives. It is Jesus that brings hope to those who struggle in darkness. It is Jesus who brings healing to families. It is Jesus who brings peace to those facing fears, anxiety, and worry. It is Jesus who can rescue the addict and free those trapped in sin.
Prioritize the mission of Jesus, and seek to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.