GOING HIGHER

One day as Jesus was walking in Jericho, the home town of a disliked tax collector named Zaccheus, the crowd was pressing him as he went along; ‘and trying to see who Jesus was, he (Zaccheus) was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.’ Zaccheus wanted to know what the fuss was all about. ‘He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see him.’ When we can’t see Jesus it usually requires us to climb to a higher and better vantage point. We all come up short in seeing as we should but not everyone is willing to make the effort to go higher.

As Jesus was passing by the sycamore tree he stopped, ‘and looking up he said to him, ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ He called Zaccheus out, called him down and above all, he called him by name. ‘Hey, Zach, my friend, come down here. I would like to stay with you tonight. What are you doing up there?’ Zaccheus must have thought, ‘What’s going on here?’ He knows me? He calls me by name and treats me like an old friend!’ This was the beginning of great joy and acceptance. Zaccheus was baffled by Jesus’ acceptance of him. Someone cared about him and wanted to be with him. So he gave up everything he had, because he no longer needed anything. He cares about us the very same way.

“Today salvation has come to this house.” Jesus