by K.E.Gordon

Created on: May 03, 2009

When thinking of Biblical characters to admire, so many big names come to mind names such as Paul, Peter, John, Andrew, and of course Jesus, to name a few. Yet, in spite of all these obvious choices, a different person comes to mind. This person is Zaccheus.

Now one might ask why anyone would admire a figure like Zaccheus. He was just a lowly tax collector that Jesus dined with one day. No other mention is made about Zaccheus other than that he was short, hated, and Jesus singled him out. Yet, in spite of this, there are three reasons that I admire Zaccheus the most.

First, Zaccheus was excited, perhaps even desperate, to see Jesus. In fact, even though the crowd was thick and he could not see, he did not let that hinder him. Instead, he ran ahead and climbed a tree just so he could be ready and see Jesus as he passed through. Zaccheus could have grown frustrated and given up on seeing Jesus, but he didn't. It is this same excitement and desperateness that we should have to "see" Jesus. We should want to "see" Jesus so much, that we will do whatever we can to do so. Not only that, but we need to plan ahead and be willing to make a change in order to "see" Jesus more clearly. Zaccheus saw that he was not going to succeed at seeing Jesus where he was, so instead of standing there unwilling to move or change his plans, he ran ahead to where Jesus would be going.

Second, Zaccheus willingly entertained Jesus in his home. Zaccheus could certainly have made excuses or refused to have Jesus in his home. He was certainly rich enough, and by this time Jesus had a reputation for speaking against sin, so many in his position would certainly have refused to entertain Jesus. Yet, the Bible says that Zaccheus "hurried and came down and received him gladly (Luke 19:6)." Zaccheus was glad to see Jesus. He opened his home and he entertained Jesus that day. How many of us today would do that. I know that in Zaccheus' place, I do not know if I would have done the same. I think I would have been ashamed and I would feel unworthy to have Jesus in my home. I would be worried that my home was not clean enough or that I would not be interesting enough for Jesus. And I know I am not alone in this. Many Christians feel unworthy. Yet we should be happy and excited to spend time with Jesus.

The third and final reason I admire Zaccheus is that he fully embraced the saving grace of Jesus. Zaccheus believed on Jesus, but he went even further, and acted on that belief. As a result of his new belief in Jesus, he made the choice to give half of his possessions to the poor and to those he had defrauded, he chose to give back four times the amount he stole. How many of us can say that we did this. I know that even now I struggle to allow Christ to change my life. Yet Zaccheus did all of this as a result of one visit with Jesus.

For all of these reasons, Zaccheus is a man to be admired. May all of us who profess to be Christians follow his example and do what it takes to "see" Jesus, spend time with him, and embrace his saving grace.

All Scriptures quoted taken from New American Standard Bible(NASB) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

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