Hopefully the title of this post brought back some memories from Sunday school class back in the day. I know when I was thinking of what to title this post, I could not get that silly song out of my head.
You hear the story of Zaccheaus all the time...he was a wealthy and greedy tax collector, Jesus wanted to stay at his home, and then Zaccheaus gave away what he had so that he could find salvation. Most of the time, when you hear this story, you hear about God bringing the worst of the worst to salvation. That isn't the route that I want to take this morning. Sure that's incredibly important, but there are other things in there that can be encouraging.
He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was so 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.
(Luke 19:3-4)
Think about the curiosity and excitement Zaccheaus must have had to see Jesus. He literally climbed a tree in a heavily populated area just so he could see him.
Do we have the excitement about Jesus? Or do we want to run and hide because of our sins?
Zaccheaus was about as rotten of a sinner as you could find but he didn't care! He wanted to see Jesus and wanted Jesus to see him. He wasn't worried one bit about the life he had lived. Jesus was there and he was all about it.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zaccheaus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. (Luke 19:5-6)
Zaccheuas never questioned Jesus. Without hesitation he got out of the tree, approached Jesus and gladly welcomed him.
It's crazy to me how welcoming he was of Jesus into his home. I feel like if Jesus asked me to stay, I would tell him to give me 10 minutes so I make sure everything is more clean and ready for such an amazing guest.
Isn't that what our life is like though? We worry about little things that we shouldn't have to. The world makes us think that everything needs to be perfect. In reality, it can't be. We are all sinners, and there might a little bit of a mess. But when Jesus comes into our lives and we are saved, our chains are broken and we are freed.
The thing that amazes me about Zaccheaus is that he was so obedient to Jesus, despite the lifestyle that he had. He didn't care about the mistakes he's made, his sins, the crowd, etc. He simply wanted to meet Jesus.
One of the other amazing parts about this story is that he gave away half of his possessions before Jesus even asked him to. Who does that? A man looking for salvation I guess.
So what is there to take away from this post?
Jesus does not care about what sort of lifestyle we used to have or maybe even still have. He really doesn't care about our mess right now either. He wants us to become saved and are chains to be broken! The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.
Be excited about your faith. Seek the Father regardless of everyone else around you.
Lastly, there is no need for questions. When you feel like the Holy Spirit is wanting you to do something, do it. Don't question the life that God has planned for you. When it seems like there is a clear answer for your life, it's probably because that is what God wants for you.
We are too hindered by doubts, this world, and worrying about what other people think. We can learn a lot from Zaccheaus and I hope by reading this post today that you did.
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