Life Ministries

“Above The Crowd”
Luke 19:1-10 and Mark 10:46-52   

    Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. This whole journey starts five chapters back in Luke chapter 12 - Jesus had just finished giving the Pharisees a piece of his mind…and chapter 12 begins with - “a crowd of many thousands had gathered”…13:22 says; “Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem”…14:25 tells us again that “large crowds were traveling with Jesus”…16:11 - “On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee” (This would be the road that led from the Jordan -through Jericho - on to Jerusalem.) In chapter 18:31 It says that “Jesus took the twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled”…but, they didn’t get it. As Jesus and the crowd approach Jericho, we have our scripture concerning the Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who receives his sight, and then, as they move on, the story of Zaccheus.

    There are some interesting insights found in certain words in this story. For instance, notice that it says that Zaccheus “wanted to see who Jesus was.” Zaccheus was a “seeker”…someone who is not looking for a church, not really looking for salvation, considers himself far from “religious” but, he’s curious as to this man Jesus that everyone is talking about and making such a fuss over!
    Because of the large crowd and the fact that Zaccheus was a “wee little man”… the people were blocking his view. Zaccheus climbed up in a Sycamore tree and became a man above the crowd. He had the best seat in the house. He had a bird’s eye view. You see, sometimes we need to climb a little higher if we really want to see Jesus…(hello) The higher you go, the better you can see him. There are times when the crowd is blocking our view, and people will distract us, obstruct us, occupy us, and hinder us from seeing Christ!  The best view is from higher ground.
    Not only did Zaccheus get to see Jesus, but he had Jesus go home with him. That’s what the church is all about. It’s about getting people to see Jesus; to see His power, His love, His glory, His sacrifice, to see the reason so many people follow Him, and then to see them take Jesus home with them!
    In this story, we find out a few things about Zaccheus; first we know that he is an I.R.S. agent; a tax collector. Public sentiment towards tax collectors in that day was not good. In the Gospels we are told several times that the people and the Pharisees complained about Jesus eating and socializing with “tax collectors and sinners” as if there were “sinners” and then a special class of sinners called “tax collectors!” To these people tax collectors were traitors!  We find out a little later in the story that he is also a thief and an extortionist, which of course is why it says he was wealthy.
    We also know that Zaccheus was short. “Zaccheus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.” All in all, if you will excuse the pun, Zaccheus just didn’t measure up!
    Zaccheus was curious about this man Jesus. I’m sure he had heard - maybe even from Matthew who was also a tax collector - about this Jesus who healed the lame, and caused the blind to see, and even raised the dead!  He heard about this Jesus who doesn’t care what you look like, what you do for a living, or how sinful your past may have been…or is…He offers forgiveness and healing, and even more than that, he befriends tax collectors!
    Most of us have been to a parade, and unless you get there early, the crowds line the streets and you have a hard time seeing what’s going on. This is especially true of children, who are too small to see over the crowd. And, so what you see sometimes, is fathers with their children up on their shoulders in order to give them a better view. Now, Zaccheus couldn’t climb up on anyone’s shoulders, so he thinks of the next best thing; the Sycamore tree. Now, imagine, here is a grown man, a government official, doing a very undignified and childlike thing; he starts climbing up in the tree.
    Then, along comes Jesus. Just before he enters Jericho, there is a blind beggar named Bartimaeus sitting by the roadside. He heals his blindness and Bartimaeus follows Jesus into Jericho. The people are all around Jesus, calling out his name, trying to get his attention, touching his clothes…and Jesus suddenly stops at the base of the tree, looks up…(and of course, when someone looks up what happens?  Everyone else looks up!) …And there is Zacch! I can imagine a sudden hush comes over the crowd…and Jesus says; Zacchaeus! Come down! I must stay at your house tonight!”
    While it simply says that he came down out of the tree, I think about this time, Zacch was probably about as red as a tomato and having a few heart palpitations! He probably couldn’t believe that Jesus knew who he was and called him by name…but, Jesus not only knew his name, he knew his need!  By the way, he also knew the attitude of the other people in the crowd, who began to mutter and mumble and gossip…(verse 7)
    This was probably the first time in a long time - if ever - that anyone wanted to eat or stay at Zacch’s house. And, in the presence of Jesus, he is suddenly struck by the poverty of his soul and the shabbiness of his selfish and self-centered life, and he confesses his sins and vows to repent of his ways. What a wonderful, true to life, story of a close encounter of the divine kind!
    Was Zaccheus changed at all by this close encounter?  Well, we are told that he is now “giving” instead of “taking”…(“Here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor”) Do you know that people of the world are “takers” and not givers? And, even when they do give, it’s because they stand to gain something from it? 
    And, then he vows restitution for his stealing, greedy, life.  But, I would venture to say that even more changed in Zacch’s life than that. I think his self-worth or self-esteem changed drastically; obviously his family relationships as well as other relationships changed; and I’m sure his whole outlook on life changed.
    Zaccheus, like so many others, was a man on a trapeze. Hanging on that trapeze was his security, it was his habit, his pattern for life. This one bar, this one way of doing things, “loving things and using people.” Then God swings another trapeze in his direction…and now he was faced with a dilemma; Should he relinquish the past and reach for the new bar? Should he give up his lifestyle and unbelief, his success and wealth, his position of power and security, in order to grab this new bar?  In order to do so, he would have to let go of the old one! He would have to start “loving people and using things! Zaccheus makes the right decision, and Jesus says; “Today, salvation has come to this house!” “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost”…was Jesus’ purpose statement!
    Let me close with a contrast between Bartimaeus and Zaccheus; One was sitting by the wayside, the other in a tree; One was rich, the other poor; One needed physical healing, the other spiritual and emotional healing; both gained eternal life; One had to get up to be saved, the other had to get down; The truth is that Jesus comes to seek and to save people in both extremes and everyone in between. Everything Zaccheus had heard about Jesus was true! …And, I’m sure he was glad that he climbed above the crowd.
The question today is, can you see him from where you are?