“Do you want to see Jesus?” There was man named Zacchaeus who wanted to see him. No doubt he had heard about him as word had spread about this man who was a miracle worker. Some called him the Messiah! What was Zacchaeus to make of this? He was a wealthy man and tax collector. His job was to collect taxes and the Jews, chosen by God and now oppressed under Roman rule, had to pay taxes to a government they despised. But Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and even went to the trouble to climb a tree to see Him as He approached.
Here is the story:
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.”
We are in the middle of Advent, so why am I telling you this story? It’s because whether or not we recognize it, we are all looking for Him. I once saw a sign that said, Wise men seek Him.
We are in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Christmas, and He is near. Do we see Him? He is in the grocery store line as we buy our ingredients to make Christmas cookies. He is in our workplace, in our homes, and on the streets. He is here. Do we see Him? One of the biggest obstacles to seeing Jesus in our midst is busyness so this Advent season I challenge you to look for Him. He said that He could be seen in the least of these.
Whatever you do for the least of these brothers and sisters you did for me. (Matthew 25:40)
Friends, we can get so caught up in the busyness of Christmas we miss Jesus in our midst. And He is seen in those around us who may not be asking for help, but are in need. Ask the Lord to show you, and as you look into their eyes you will see Him. This is what makes Christmas so sacred.
