Rise Above the Obstacles

Scripture:  Luke 19:1-10

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchae'us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.  3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchae'us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." 6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one 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."

Jesus calls Zacchaeus
Paulines,ph

Reflection: Zacchaeus was a man hated by the people because he was a tax collector. They are considered abusive and greedy by the Jews because they enriched themselves at the expense of others even the poor. Zacchaeus was probably hated more because he was the chief tax collector.

We have to admire the humility and determination of Zacchaeus when he sought to see Jesus even in the midst of a great crowd who is hostile to him. People could have been throwing him dagger looks or cursing him and probably threatening his life too. Still he went on to see Jesus.

Jesus who reads the heart of every man recognized the determination of Zacchaeus and rewarded him with a visit to his house. This was beyond Zacchaeus' wildest dreams!  Jesus was also risking His reputation by befriending Zacchaeus for the Jews regarded hanging out with public sinners as scandalous. But Jesus didn't care; for His mission was to find sinners and bring them back to friendship with God.

In our lives we may also encounter people who will ridicule us for doing what is right. Just like Zacchaeus our humility and determination will help us go through the criticisms, rise up and climb our own sycamore tree. As we rise above the challenges, we would see Jesus clearly and be rewarded by a close relationship with Him.