“Desperate for God”
Luke 19:1-10
“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Master passed that way, He looked up in the tree.
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down. For I’m going to your house today.”
How many of us remember singing that song as children?
It’s a cute song and an excellent way to remember a Bible story, but there are several details about Zacchaeus that this song does not include.
For one thing, Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, and I’m sure his parents would never have dreamed that he would turn out the way he did.
Do you know why?
Because his name means “Pure” or “Righteous.”
He was given that name as a baby.
His mother and father looked down upon him and thought he was the most precious little fellow in the world…so they named him “Pure.”
They knew and believed that God had great plans for his life, so they named him “Righteous.”
And I imagine that Zacchaeus’ parents probably did their best to help him live in his name.
They probably took him to the Temple.
They probably taught him about God and maybe the Scriptures.
They probably loved him so very much.
And through their showing an unconditional love for him…
…I would imagine that Zacchaeus was given just a glimpse of God’s love for all people—including himself.
But as Zacchaeus grew up, he probably found that he was not growing as fast or tall as his peers.
The word “short” in this passage means “an adult who has not grown out of a child’s body.”
So, Zacchaeus was probably quite troubled…perhaps even tormented by this.
He may have had what many people refer to as “a Napoleon Complex.”
He felt insecure about his size and therefore thought that he had to prove just how big, tough, and unafraid he was by other means.
He was probably made fun of at school and might have gotten into many fights.
Or maybe he just got beat up…and led a lonely, isolated, and ostracized existence.
He probably never had many friends…
…not that he couldn’t have had friends…
…but his lack of self-esteem probably caused him to push potential friends away.
He had been hurt one too many times.
So, he built walls of protection between himself and others.
And people stayed away.
The walls worked.
But behind those walls was a desperately lonely and self-hating person who wanted nothing more than to be loved, accepted, and understood.
How many of us can relate to Zacchaeus’ predicament?
When we see some youngsters who put on a “tough” face…
…or wear all-black…
…walking around with all kinds of piercings in all sorts of places…
…when we see these often sad-looking and sometimes intimidating-looking kids…
…let’s remember that behind all that black, there is most likely a person who wants desperately to be loved and to be understood but has been hurt way too many times.
I have a feeling that is how Zacchaeus felt as a young person.
(pause)
So, one night when the Roman occupation came to Zacchaeus with an offer…
…an offer to be somebody…
…a job offer as a tax collector, Zacchaeus faced a tough but inevitable decision—whether or not to sell out to Rome.
As a tax collector, he would have to pay Rome a certain amount for his territory…and then, of course, he would get rich by charging people for more taxes than they owed.
This would mean that Zacchaeus would collect taxes from a widow who wouldn’t have enough to pay…and put her out of her house…
…yes, he would have to rob, cheat and steal from many people.
He would also have to give up his religion.
He would no longer have access to the Temple…
…and he would be hated…
…truly hated…
…not just shunned or misunderstood.
But, he would be rich.
So, Zacchaeus chose to be rich.
Now he would have something, wouldn’t he?
He would hold power…power that he never had before… control over other people’s lives.
But this power and money didn’t make Zacchaeus feel any better about life than before.
He was still miserable.
He still knew he lacked the love his parents introduced him to as a young child.
He knew he was not living the life he had been created to live.
He knew he was not being the person he was capable of being.
And so, he was desperate.
Desperate for God.
(pause)
So here we have Zacchaeus…
…he is rich but lonely and hated…
…he is wealthy but spiritually impoverished…
…and he knows it.
Remember the first thing Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
So, Zacchaeus, the tax collector, understands that his life is not complete…something is missing…something VERY BIG and VERY IMPORTANT IS MISSING!
Do any of us feel that something VERY BIG AND IMPORTANT IS MISSING in our lives this morning?
If so, you may be like Zacchaeus…a person in need of God.
No doubt, Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus and probably listened to what people were saying everywhere about Jesus: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
And after Jesus eats with these sinners…
…something about them starts to change.
They become like new people.
It’s as if they have been born all over again.
So, when Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was passing through Jericho, he wanted to see Jesus!
And he wanted to see Jesus so desperately that he “ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him….”
I’ve been told that a sycamore tree has a smooth bark, and it’s always a long way to the first limb.
So, this is a difficult tree to climb.
Therefore, Zacchaeus sweated it out but finally got up the tree and settled on a limb among the leaves.
He probably thought that he was secluded there—like he had his private box for a parade.
And so, he waited for Jesus, and
sure enough, Jesus came by…
…and much to Zacchaeus’ surprise…Jesus knew Zacchaeus was in that tree.
Jesus knew everything there was to know about Zacchaeus.
He knew that he was one of the lost sheep.
He knew that he was not living the kind of life that God had created him to live.
And He knew that he was an outcaste, a lonely and hated man in search of something which would make him feel like a real human being again.
Remember another thing that Jesus said during His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
So, Jesus reaches the spot where this spiritually impoverished man is hiding in a sycamore tree…knowing that this man is hungering and thirsting for righteousness, love, and God.
Jesus said to him: “Zacchaeus, come down immediately.
I must stay at your house today.”
And what did Zacchaeus do?
“he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”
And that is all he had to do.
Jesus did not force Himself into Zacchaeus’ home, but He certainly did ask him for a welcome.
And this is what Jesus is doing for all of us: “Here I am!” Jesus declares in Revelation Chapter 3, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
I imagine nothing could have been farther from Zacchaeus’ mind than this Jesus from Galilee would choose to stay at his house!
There must have been hundreds upon hundreds of upstanding citizens in the crowd.
Out of all the priests of the Temple, out of all the well-to-do and respected citizens—Jesus chose to dine at the home of the most hated, reviled member of this community…hmmm…
For Jesus, the outsider; the poor, the voiceless; those loathed and abominated by society hold pride of place!
Of course, “All the people saw [what happened between Jesus and Zacchaus], and [they] began to mutter” about Jesus: “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”
Isn’t that what Jesus is all about?
Isn’t that why Jesus came to earth and went to the Cross…
…to become the guest of sinners?
Praise God that we have a Savior Who wants to come and dine with us—Who is more than willing to love us despite our sins and shortcomings—who sees who we are or our potential—
Who came not to judge the world but to save it.
How unlike Jesus am I when I pass judgment upon other sinners.
How unlike Jesus I am when I shun or despise those who have built walls of protection up…but who, on the inside, are so desperate for God!
How much I am like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day when I look down on others—thinking I am righteous- when all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory?
I should be humbled to the dust by my Christian faith.
And if I am not, I had better re-examine my understanding of Jesus.
I should never ‘judge’ others.
Instead, I should walk this earth so humbled by the love of Christ for sinners such as I that I have only love for my fellow human beings—no matter what ‘sin’ they may be committing.
We are all in the same boat…
…are we not?
So, Jesus goes to Zacchaeus’s house, and there is a lapse of time—how much, we are not told.
They shut the door, and the crowd milled around and gossiped, but no one knew what went on inside.
Finally, the door opened, and there stood Zacchaeus!
Something radical had happened to this man.
He admitted that he had been robbing people and promised to give half of his goods to the poor and to restore fourfold to those whom he had falsely taxed.
Something had happened inside Zacchaeus, and he was a new man.
Could it be that Jesus’ unconditional love for him gave him a taste and maybe even a reminder of what life is really about?
Could it be that in experiencing Jesus’ love and acceptance for him Zacchaeus was finally able to love and accept himself?
Lloyd C. Douglas wrote this about what might have occurred inside Zacchaeus’ house:
“Zacchaeus,” said the carpenter gently, “what did you see that made you desire this peace?”
“Good Master—I saw—mirrored in your eyes—the face of the Zacchaeus I was meant to be!”
Have we seen—mirrored in Christ’s eyes—the face of the person God meant for us to be?
Jesus said to Zacchaeus: “Today salvation has come to this house…For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Jesus is still entering and passing through the Jerichos’ of this world…places like Red Bank, Signal Mountain, Hixson…you name it!
Jesus’ love is still seeking out the Zacchaeus’ of this world.
People like you, me, our neighbors…
And Jesus still says to us: “Come down immediately; I must stay at your house today.”
Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus gladly, and it changed his life.
And how about us?
Has Jesus entered your home, your life, your heart?
Have you let Him in?
Let us Pray: Almighty God, this life is difficult and it’s easy to lose sight of what is truly important.
It is so easy to get off course.
We are easily lost.
We thank you that you come to us, loving us, asking to stay with us.
We invite you in right now.
Change us.
Forgive us.
Make us whole.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
