“‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’” (Luke 19:10).
I was reading the story of Zacchaeus the other day, and it started me thinking…
“He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ (Luke 19:1-10).
There was Zacchaeus, a tax collector who was hated by those within his own community. And there he stood – or perched, or sat – high up in the sycamore tree, at the entrance to the road, waiting to see Christ.
And I have been wondering, what he was waiting for? After all, he was not living a holy life. Tax collectors in ancient Rome were hated for a reason. Most of them were thieves that INCREASED the taxes that they collected for the Roman Empire so that they could collect a commission or bribe for themselves out of the monies collected. In other words, these ancient tax collectors, like Zacchaeus, were a type of ancient mafia. They were hardly into prayer and worship and holiness. In fact, their entire life was structured around the opposite – they wanted comfort and financial security and financial freedom.
And yet – something stirred Zacchaeus’ curiosity that day. Something caused him to seek out Christ on that road. Out he went assumedly without his Roman escort – for tax collectors in those days required a Roman escort wherever they went because they were so seriously hated by those around them and in their community. And up he climbed into that tree.
And Christ – walking along that road at exactly that time – saw Zacchaeus where he was sitting quietly in his tree in the hot noon-day sun, and He called out to him, “‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’” (Luke 19:10).
And imagine Zacchaeus’ shock and excitement in receiving such an invitation! Imagine him scrambling out of that tree, skirts flying, dust spraying. Imagine Zacchaeus frantically shouting to his servants to go and prepare the house. Imagine the cook scrambling to cook the finest cuts of meat for the guest of honour. Imagine the staff running to dust and clean the house that Christ was to dine in that day. And imagine the people watching in shock. Imagine their judgement, “Why Zacchaeus? Does the Rabbi know what Zacchaeus does? Why is He eating at Zacchaeus’ house?”
And I have been thinking about that too. Because I am both Zacchaeus and those other people watching. I am curious about my Blessed Lord and in that way seek Him out, and at the same time I judge the favours that He bestows on others.
And now, imagine if Zacchaeus had not been curious. Imagine if he had said NO instead of YES that day. Imagine if all the possible barriers had just stopped him in his tracks and instead of climbing up he turned and went home. Imagine how many others went home that day instead of standing out there in the sun waiting to catch a glimpse at the passing Rabbi.
And then when Christ did see Zacchaeus, He did not just wave hello. He went into Zacchaeus’ home – just as He comes into my soul… Because Christ did not just come to wave at the sinners in the entryway, He came to enter into our souls. And that means, that all He needs to invite Himself, is a little invitation by way of curiosity. That is all He needs for entry. For after that, he can call out, “‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’” (Luke 19:10).
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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