"desperate For God"

“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?