The Encounter
by Elizabeth Cole
“…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.”
He’s rich, with a great degree of control in his world. His
unethical business practices are known and, as a result, it’s safe to say that
he’s deeply loathed. I imagine his size doesn’t get in the way of his
aggressive approach to life, other than when there’s a parade in town…like this
particular day.
In past years, I’ve been more focused on the fact that, in the
New Testament story, Zacchaeus went to such lengths as climbing a tree to see
Jesus. It’s not a bad application…seek Jesus, He promises He’ll be found…but it
doesn’t take into account the last sentence of the narrative: “I came to seek
and to save those who are lost.” Recently, in conversation with a colleague, a
richer, more gospel-saturated picture emerges: Jesus seeks Zacchaeus. He sees
Him; He knows him by name; He calls him to a personal encounter…and everything
changes.
Our Savior not only calls out Zacchaeus from the limbs of a
sycamore, He calls him out of a false life and worldview. He calls Him into a
relationship with the God in whose image He and his victims were created. He
calls Him into a whole new gospel perspective of himself and others. And both
his convictions and actions change ever-so-dramatically.
Scripture records Zacchaeus’s response upon welcoming the Lord
Jesus into his home that day, “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.’”
“Christ is our model of
compassion and conviction. He loved Zacchaeus enough to sup with him, knowing
the social stigma attached to his occupation. Zacchaeus adopted a new worldview
in response to his encounter with Jesus. This worldview taught that exploiting
citizens and perpetuating a system that hurt the poor was no longer an
option.”1 And so Zacchaeus acted
accordingly.
Oh, that our lives would be ever-increasingly as gospel-informed
as Zacchaeus’. That the unimaginable truth of God’s lovingkindness toward us
would play out in our worldview, in our grace toward others, and in our
ordinary living.
He sees you. He knows you by name. He gifts you with His grace
and forgiveness. He calls you to a gospel-saturated life…you are His. And that
changes everything.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
How does Jesus’ gospel affect your worldview and life values?
2.
Thank Jesus for seeing you, calling you by name, and claiming
you as His own.
Elizabeth is a wife with three grown daughters
and two sons-in-law, and is the Director of Connecting at Oakwood Church.
1 Sho Baraka, Christianity Today weekly newsletter, 9/16/16
