Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:1-10 NIV
Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus because the crowd was in the way. Luke tells us “he ran ahead,” in other words, he put some space between himself and the crowd. Sometimes, that’s what we need to do! Sometimes, we can’t see Jesus because the crowd is in the way! And how did Jesus respond when He saw him alone in that tree? He said, “I must stay at your house today.”
When Jesus looked at Zacchaeus, he saw a lost man, in need of a rescue. He saw a son of Abraham, in need of salvation. Abraham was known for his faith, so Jesus saw the potential Zacchaeus had, to become a great man of faith!
When the crowd looked at Zacchaeus, what did they see? The saw an unworthy “sinner,” who had no right to expect Jesus to come to his house. Wow, what a difference in perspectives!
May we always see others through the eyes of Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost!