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God and "wee little people"

I love the story of Jesus' encounter with the tax collector, Zacchaeus.
Luke 19:1-10 (ESV)
1  He entered Jericho and was passing through.
2  And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.
3  And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.
4  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
5  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
6  So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
7  And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
8  And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
9  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
10  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”



I usually think of Danny DeVito when  I think of Zacchaeus.  Children sing the song of this - a "wee little man was he..."  But as funny as the image of Danny DeVito is, and as cute as the song is, Zacchaeus was a hated man.  His fellow Jews put him the class of traitor, swindler; someone who has sold his soul to the devil.

 It's hard to imagine what was happening inside of Zacchaeus that day...why did he feel so compelled to see Jesus?  The desperation and urgency of his actions are not easily understood from the text.  
Had he heard about Jesus?  Probably
Was it just curiosity?
Was it fascination?
Was it personal need?
We don't know from the text...all we do know is that he HAD to see Jesus...just see him...not necessarily talk to him, or touch him...just see Him.

The text surprises us at the next point...Jesus stops, looks up and says...let's have lunch Zacchaeus!
The crowd around Jesus was shocked....Zacchaeus was overwhelmed...and instantaneously convicted of his sinful actions - "I'll give away half my goods" (gives us an idea of what he had done to get them to begin with); and restore fourfold what's stolen... (which is what the law demanded).
What's the old saying - "A ?????? and his money are soon parted?"
But this is no fool, this is a man who sees Jesus, talks to him, and is invited to be with him, and that is enough to know that money just doesn't count.

NOW we get to the issue at hand - something happened inside of Zacchaeus.
He GOT it because something happened to him that changed him from the inside out and not the outside in.
Something has to happen to our insides to make us want Jesus more than anything else.

God comes to "wee little people" and he says "come, follow me", and many of them say "yes".  It's not the past that defines us, it's the present and the future.
We come to him not out of duty, or the need to perform, or to show others how sincere we are, or good we are; because we know that all of that counts for nothing.

We come to him because where else would we go?
Zacchaeus knew he hadn't been a good man...but Jesus was good, and that was what he went towards... that's what we must go towards.

Peace

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