Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was, but the crowd prevented him, but when he climbed a tree to see Jesus closely, he never imagined what would happen. Lucas 19
The friendly talk was not heard in the extravagant home of Zacchaeus. Only the rattle of gold, silver and bronze coins broke the silence in the house of the head tax collector in Jericho.
It was not easy to be the most hated - and the smallest - of the men in the city, but all that was something Zacchaeus had learned to cope with. And the pleasure of punishing those despicable people with tax increases made up for everything. With every disparaging remark by the public, Zacchaeus silently planned another way to get more money out of those almost empty pockets.
Zacchaeus knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he did not care. Charging more taxes was his easy revenge. However, the more he collected taxes, the more people hated him. So Zacchaeus charged more and the vicious circle continued.
We imagined him walking one morning in the city when he heard two men talking about the Lord Jesus. They said that he was on his way to Jericho and that he had healed a blind man that very day. Heal a blind man? Who was that man? -he asked himself. You had to collect taxes, but that task could wait. It aroused him curiosity to imagine that a man could become very rich with these powers.
Before Zacchaeus could at least ask something about the Lord, the crowd began to move in his direction. Zacchaeus ran to see if he could see that man with healing power up close. But it was useless, as a few from the crowd soon identified the tax collector and moved their bodies to prevent him from seeing the Lord.
However, Zacchaeus did not want to consider himself defeated. Surrendering was not in accordance with his personality, something very evident in his ruthless tactics to raise money from those who evaded the payment of taxes.
Without wasting time, Zacchaeus ran forward and climbed a tree that was on that path. It was then that the Lord saw him and said: "Zacchaeus, hurry, come down, because today it is necessary for me to pose in your house" (Luke 19: 5).
Not only did Zacchaeus meet the Lord, but he experienced the transforming power of the Son of God and offered to give half of his goods to the poor and return fourfold what he would have taken from someone (verse 8). His determination to find the Lord, coupled with the great desire to obey God, made Zacchaeus powerful in spirit.
Receiving all that the Lord has for us does not happen simply with a casual walk in the park. He often demands that we prepare and be willing to sacrifice, such as climbing a tree or walking the second mile; demand to seek the Lord.
The writer of Hebrews states: "It is necessary that he who comes to God believes that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him" (Hebrews 11: 6).
What were Zacchaeus' intentions in seeking the Lord? Maybe they were pure and honest from the beginning; maybe they were not until later. But his intentions were not as important as his actions to find him. If we sincerely seek Christ, we will find Him and our lives will be transformed.
Acting by order of the Lord, Zacchaeus hurried and descended from the tree. Then, he turned to the Lord and announced the change in his behavior. The fact of having an encounter with the Savior should not leave us simply as very excited people, proud of our guest of honor. Instead, He must transform our hearts, reform our minds and renew our spirits.
In Romans 12: 2 the apostle Paul urges us not to conform "to this age, but to be transformed by means of the renewal of our understanding, so that we may prove what is the good will of God, pleasing and perfect".
That was what happened with Zacchaeus. It was not enough that he stopped defrauding the Jewish people, but wanted to restore by four times everything he had taken, as well as deliver half of his possessions to the poor.
This, without a doubt, was a huge sacrifice for a man who was comfortably surrounded by riches. In addition, all this showed that Zacchaeus was a transformed man.
There were others whom the Lord called and who were not willing to love Him more than the riches they had. Zacchaeus, however, was more than willing to give everything to the Lord.
He had spent many solitary nights counting his money and now he wanted his life to count for something. Despite all his shortcomings, Zacchaeus realized that following the Savior was the only way for his life to have true meaning and purpose.
Zacchaeus learned the truth contained in the words of 1 Peter 2:21: "For to this you were called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that you follow his footsteps. "
