What Trees Can Teach Us About God and His Kingdom — Part TwoParaugs

Caring more about Jesus than about your reputation

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. Although tax collectors weren’t particularly popular in Israel, Zacchaeus was probably well known in the city of Jericho and had a certain reputation to keep up. But in today’s story, he doesn’t seem to bother about that. He has heard a lot about Jesus, and wants to see Him now that He is in the city. But since many other people have the same idea, Zacchaeus hardly gets a chance to see Him! Then he does something unusual and ridiculous: he climbs a tree. Zacchaeus probably thought nobody would notice him up there, but Jesus does! Visible to everyone, He tells Zacchaeus to come down, since Jesus wants to stay in his house that day. And Zacchaeus does so; he receives Him joyfully. Apparently, he doesn’t care about his awkward position as a respectable adult hiding in a tree. The conclusion of the story is that this man and his house find salvation.

This story contains a lesson for us. If Zacchaeus had prioritized his reputation over seeing Jesus, and if he had behaved according to the social standards, he would have lost his chance to get to know Jesus and be saved. For us too, following Jesus might involve risking our reputation, risking mockery, or thinking outside of the box. Following Jesus can be scary and requires us to rethink our priorities. But it is worth it! The salvation God offers us, is far more important than people’s respect and esteem.

Are there any steps you should take, but don’t yet dare to?