February 23, 2016
A Better View
Because
he was short he could not see over the crowd.- Luke 19:3
Read:
Luke
19:1-10
As a child, I loved to
climb trees. The higher I climbed, the more I could see. Occasionally, in
search of a better view, I might inch out along a branch until I felt it bend
under my weight. Not surprisingly, my tree-climbing days are over. I suppose it
isn’t very safe—or dignified.
Zacchaeus, a wealthy man, set aside his
dignity (and perhaps ignored his safety) when he climbed a tree one day in
Jericho. Jesus was traveling through the city, and Zacchaeus wanted to get a
look at Him. However, “because he was short he could not see over the crowd”
(Luke 19:3). Fortunately, those things did not stop him from seeing and even
talking with Christ. Zacchaeus’s plan worked! And when he met Jesus, his life
was changed forever. “Salvation has come to this house,” Jesus said (v. 9).
We too can be prevented from seeing Jesus.
Pride can blind us from seeing Him as the Wonderful Counselor. Anxiety keeps us
from knowing Him as the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). Hunger for status and stuff
can prevent us from seeing Him as the true source of satisfaction—the Bread of
Life (John 6:48).
What are you willing to do to get a better
view of Jesus? Any sincere effort to get closer to Him will have a good result.
God rewards people who earnestly seek Him (Heb. 11:6).
Thank You Jesus for all that You are. Show me more of
Yourself as I read the Bible and pray. Help me to pursue You with all of my
heart and mind.
To strengthen your faith in God, seek the face
of God.
INSIGHT:
Luke 19:1–3 tells us five things about a man
named Zacchaeus. He lived in Jericho, he was a chief tax collector, he was
wealthy, he was short, and he wanted to see Jesus. Most people know he was
short, but that may be the least important fact of the five. Zacchaeus was
likely the superintendent of customs for Jericho—an important and lucrative
post. Jericho exported a great deal of balsam wood and was situated on a major
trade route connecting Jerusalem to the East. Both of these facts—Zacchaeus’s
residence in Jericho and his vocation—would account for his wealth. But
ultimately wealth cannot provide the salvation and satisfaction that only Jesus
can give.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2016