And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5 ESV)
If you spent any time in Sunday School or did time in Vacation Bible School, you probably know the tune and the dance that accompanies this passage. But have you ever thought of the song’s significance?
It’s not just to encourage small people (aka kids) to take the initiative to do what is necessary to glimpse of Jesus. Rather, it’s about a disposition of heart that even us “big people” can relate to and need in order to have Jesus invite himself into your house (figuratively).
Zacchaeus was the equivalent of a modern day traitor. He was a tax collector and he was a corrupt tax collector at that. But the reason I call him a modern day traitor is because tax collectors basically were a franchise owner for the people who oppresses you. Let me explain, if you’re not familiar with what I’m talking about and haven’t heard my tirade on this on any given Sunday.
The Roman empire would franchise out its tax collecting duties to people in the localities that they conquered so that the garrison and/or military forces employed by Rome can be paid to keep Roman control in that land and territory by the very people they conquered. It’s an ingenious system if you ask me. So what you have are people that serve as tax collectors that are taking money from their own people so that a foreign nation can rule over them on their dime. Zacchaeus was, therefore a traitor; and like most traitors, he was also corrupt, he levied higher than normal taxes so that he could gain wealth.
What this story in Luke teaches us is that Zacchaeus was willing to climb up a tree to get a glimpse at something that he wasn’t primed to get a glimpse at. Jesus, being a religious leader, was not the type of person that would be found associating himself with a morally broken traitor and Zacchaeus knew it. But despite that, Zacchaeus had to see for himself, who this Jesus was. Jesus then surprised Zacchaeus by reaching out to him.
On a normal day, God would have no business meeting with us. He is after all, holy, perfect and eternal, whereas we are the opposite. But like Zacchaeus, if we are willing to catch a glimpse of God, He will turn around and surprise us each and every time by inviting himself into our life and associating with us. It’s really beautiful.
Every single time we take the initiative to get a glimpse of God passing us by, He will always say, “hurry up and come down.” Some of us will not respond to that invitation to “hurry up and come down.”
Others of us will cling harder to the tree we climbed up to get a glimpse; but both are incorrect responses. Jesus must stay at your house (your heart) today, but you must hurry up and come down to accept his invitation.