Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”
Luke 19:1-9
If you have been around church or the Bible for very long, you are likely familiar with the story of Zacchaeus. You have just read it:
A tax collector, desperate to see Jesus, climbs up a tree to get just a glimpse. But Jesus has more in store for this man. He stops, calls Zacchaeus by name, and invites the tax collector to follow him. And the man responds in faith to Jesus’s invitation.
May each of us do the same by responding in faith and complete obedience to the invitation of Jesus Christ.
When we read the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, we often just think of the interaction between the two. (And maybe the crowd.)
But in reality, there are countless other people involved in this conversion story that aren’t listed. For example:
At some point, someone must have mentioned to Zacchaeus that Jesus was coming to town that day.
At some point, a parent or grandparent must have raised Zacchaeus with enough spiritual curiosity to care.
At some point, someone had probably responded to Zacchaeus with enough kindness to remind him that love still exists in the world.
At some point, decades earlier, someone had planted a seed that has now grown into the very tree Zacchaeus was able to climb to see Jesus.
And probably a dozen others, both directly and indirectly, whose actions had led to this story occurring.
There’s a beautiful picture here that we often miss.
Jesus didn’t just call Zacchaeus on that one afternoon. He had been coordinating this interaction for decades. Long before that afternoon, God had been putting together the puzzle pieces for Zacchaeus’s conversion.
If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ and are following Him in obedience, be thankful for all the men and women—seen and unseen, remembered and forgotten—who played a part in you becoming a part of the family of God.
And then, remain faithful to the Lord, accepting every invitation and opportunity to serve Him and represent Him to others. None of us know entirely how our faithfulness is being coordinated by God to bring many into His kingdom. Our goal is simply to remain faithful.
And if you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sin and made Him the Lord of your life, respond today in faith and complete obedience to the invitation of Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the countless ways You have been at work in my life—seen and unseen—drawing me closer to You. May I never forget the enormity of Your love for me. And help me remain faithful today, knowing that my obedience may be a part of someone else’s story. Amen.