Zacchaeus was a powerful man and wealthy man of his own time. He was
a chief tax-collector; he was not much loved among his people.
Nobody loves IRS or Uncle Sam. He was widely known as a crook among
his people because he over-tax people and keep the excess amount for
himself. That must have been where he derived his wealth. He was
considered a sinner among his people and above all, he was a
short-man. People have different disrespectful names for short
people. In fact some have forgotten the fact that this short man or
this person with a certain disability was created in the image of
the Living God.
Zacchaeus heard that Jesus Christ would pass through Jericho and he
loved to see Him perhaps to behold his glory. He was not looking
forward to see Him for a miracle of healing or for anything. He just
wanted to see Jesus Christ. There must have been some thing behind
his passion for Jesus Christ. Perhaps the fame of the Lord, perhaps
he wanted to behold those merciful eyes of Jesus Christ, those hands
that shaped the universe to existence. Perhaps he just wanted to
behold the glory of the Son of God. “I must see Him,”
Zacchaeus determined in resolute. He set a goal higher and above him
but he kept his focus until he achieved his aim.
Zacchaeus recognized his shortcoming, but he did not resign to fate
and give up on himself. Several times he must have tried to have a
peep at Jesus Christ but the taller people that throng on Him denied
him of seeing the Lord. He did something out of ordinary. He
overrode his predicament. He climbed the sycamore tree in his
desperate effort to see Jesus Christ. We always take climbing a tree
as a common thing. But when you consider the thoughtfulness of
Zacchaeus, a wealthy man who did not allow his wealth to override
his sense of reasoning, humbled himself to the extend of climbing a
tree to see the Lord, then you will appreciate it. Again if you
consider how difficult it might have been for Zacchaeus, a short-man
to climb a tree, you will appreciate the effort. Think of the number
of times he must have jumped up to get hold of branch of the tree to
no avail. At last he climbed the tree, and this dramatic effort paid
off, and it made it to the Bible. Zacchaeus became the first person
that strived so hard as to climbing sycamore tree to see Jesus
Christ. Perhaps he said to himself, “Although, I am tired of my
little stature, but I am moving on any way.” Paul sought the face of
God for his infirmities, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for
you!” and Paul continued to move ion. He wrote one-third of the New
Testament. He asked in the book of Romans Chapter 8:35, “What can
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
When
Jesus Christ reached the spot, under the sycamore tree that
Zacchaeus climbed, he stopped and called him by name: “Zacchaeus,
make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.”
Question. How did Jesus know Zacchaeus by name? Answer: He created
Him in His image and designed him for success. He was aware of his
predicament. He was aware of his problems, and He was aware of his
need and lastly He was aware his efforts. Even though, Zacchaeus
never know that Jesus Christ can dwell in his house, his righteous
efforts paid off and salvation became his portion.
In
the presence of God, there is solution; the anointing of his
presence saturates the environment. Everything that dwelt in the
presence of God prospers. Angel Gabriel declared his source of
power, he said, “I am Gabriel that stands in the presence of God and
it was the reason why he was a great communicator. In the presence
of God, divinity superimpose spiritual and manifest in the physical
for the glory of God. In the presence of God, Zacchaeus saw his
nakedness and acknowledge himself as sinner and repented of his
sinfulness and made restitution of his past bad deed. “If I shut
up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to
devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I
hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their
land.” (II Chronicle 7:13-14)
Jesus entered the house of Zacchaeus and made a proclamation and
said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too
is a son of Abraham.” We may ponder and wonder and ask ourselves,
“What is the relevance of this statement of Jesus Christ? God called
Abraham of his kindred with promise of blessing. (Genesis 12:1-3)
God established his promise with a covenant in (Genesis 17:7),
“And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed
after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a
God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.” God sealed the
covenant with an oath in (Genesis 22:15-18), “And the angel of
the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And
said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast
done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That
in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply
thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon
the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou has obeyed my voice.” God Almighty is a covenant
keeper. Even though Zacchaeus identified and acknowledged himself as
a sinner, but because he was a child of covenant, the covenant of
his father Abraham located him, and the blessing that was attached
to the covenant became his portion. The same way, if you are a child
of covenant by the special adoption, through the blood of Jesus
Christ on the Cross, the blessing that is attached to the covenant
of the blood will locate you and overtake you today in Jesus name.
Before we pray, if there is anyone who wishes to
become a beneficiary of the covenant of Abraham, you have to do
something that is positively dramatic like Zacchaeus. This is an
opportunity for you. It did not cost Zacchaeus anything to stand out
dramatically; it will neither cost you anything to stand out boldly
to obtain this eternal covenant. All that is required of you is
faith, and an open confession with your mouth that Jesus Christ is
the Lord. And your journey to the eternal kingdom of the righteous
will begin from this very moment.
Michael A. Eleyinafe
