Rest Assured, the Lord Sees You…

And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was there seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore to see him. (Luke 19:2-4, ESV)  

The story of Zacchaeus in the Gospels might stir memories of singing that funny little song as a child; “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he…”

Zacchaeus was so short he thought it was necessary to climb a sycamore tree to see and be seen by Jesus. He did not want to get swallowed up in the crowd, go unnoticed, nor miss Jesus so he went to extreme measures. What Zacchaeus did not know was even if he had not climbed the tree or been able to see Jesus, Jesus would have still seen him! His height would not have kept Jesus from seeing him. Regardless of his short stature, and tree or no tree, Jesus would have seen him because Jesus sees everyone and that includes you and me even when we don’t do anything spectacular or stand out for any one reason.

The story of Zacchaeus is a wonderful reminder about how the Lord sees us. We do not need to go through any theatrics, perform any special service, be someone doing some noteworthy work, be a trailblazer, someone leading a movement, fighting a cause, just because God created us, Jesus sees us.

Jesus let Zacchaeus know he not only saw him but that he was important to him. Jesus affirmed Zacchaeus specialness by coming to dine with him. Zacchaeus went from making sure Jesus saw him to enjoying the presence of the Lord in his own home. How awesome was that!  

The encounter Zacchaeus had with Jesus was life changing. He was a changed man. By the end of the day Zacchaeus was transformed in the way he conducted his business as a tax collector, in the way he related to others and as and as a person. Even one encounter with Christ can do that for us.

The song about Zacchaeus is not only catchy, his story is not only memorable, but becomes inspirational as we learn Jesus not only sees us even in a crowd but wants to enjoy a close and personal relationship with us and just like Zacchaeus was, we can be transformed in our character, person, and outlook also. Let’s Pray

Jesus how comforting to know you see us even when there are crowds all around us. How impactful to learn we can be transformed in every area of life when we have that up close encounter with you just as Zacchaeus did. Amen

Reflective Questions for Examination and Thought…

Have you ever felt you got lost in the crowd and needed to do something special for God in order to stand out of be noticed? How will you incorporate today’s message into your plan of self and soul-care?