Out on a Limb!

 

            I’m short.  I’ve been short since my last growth spurt back in the fifth grade.  It was fun for a while, being taller than everyone in my class.  Then, everyone else grew more and left me “eating their dust”.  As a result of my short stature, there have been challenges.  I often find myself in various settings where I must keep moving from side to side to try to see around the person in front of me.  At the check-out, there are times when the card reader is so high, I must stand on my tiptoes to see what it says.  Those are just some of the problems of being short.  You can’t always see what you need to see!

            Zacchaeus was also short, but he wasn’t just short.  He was hated, distrusted, and greedy.  He was disliked by many and probably hated by more than a few.  Yet, he had the desire to see Jesus.  It was obvious that no one would help him get to the front of the crowd, and with his short stature, his only hope of seeing Jesus was to overcome his obstacle of being short. So, he did the only logical thing: he climbed a tree.  By going out on a limb, he not only saw Jesus, but Jesus also saw him.  Jesus knew where he was, who he was, and exactly what he needed. 

            My question to us is:  What is keeping us from seeing Jesus? 

            Zacchaeus had a physical problem that kept him from seeing Jesus.  For us, that’s probably not the issue, but numerous other problems often keep us from seeing or even wanting to see Jesus.

            Maybe for you, it’s the fear that your past sins make you unworthy to be in Jesus’ presence.  Jesus already knows all about your past, just as he knew Zacchaeus’ past.  That didn’t stop Him from inviting Himself to Zacchaeus’ house, and it won’t stop Him from accepting you into His family.

            Maybe you are too busy trying to obtain all the material possessions that our culture says we need to be a success.  The desire for “more” or what might be more appropriately called “greed” is the acceptable way of life today.  Zacchaeus was also greedy, and Jesus knew that before He called him out of that tree.

            Maybe you have had a bad “church” experience and are afraid that no one will accept you.  We must admit that there are individuals and even churches that haven’t quite understood Jesus’ message of forgiveness, but Zacchaeus was in that same boat.  The Jews, who were the “church” people of that day, hated him.  Jesus made it clear that He accepted the “wee little man” even if the people did not.

            I’m sure there are hundreds of other reasons not to see Jesus.  The point is that Jesus already knows what limb you are clinging to.  He knows your name.  He knows your problems.  He even knows your sins.  Yet, He is right there waiting for you to see Him.  The moment that Zacchaeus went out on a limb to “see” Jesus, his whole life changed.  All he had to do was try to “see” Jesus.

            What’s keeping you from seeing Jesus? I don’t think you have to climb a tree or get out on a limb, but you do need to stop, pray and seek.  When you do, He will “see” you and change you from the inside out, just as He did Zacchaeus.  He’s just waiting for you to “see” Him.

Luke 19: 3

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