"Behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he...sought to see Jesus Who He was" (Lk 19:2,3)Zacchaeus' profession was looked down upon by society. 'Publicans and sinners' was a term used by people to denote their hatred for them. The work of a publican was to collect taxes for the Roman government. As there were no strict rules concerning tax collections, publicans used to take bribes.
Zacchaeus had heard of Jesus and wanted to know Who He was. As he was short, he climbed up a sycomore tree. The sight of the little rich man climbing a sycomore tree must have been amusing to the crowd; but shame or ridicule did nothing to diminish Zacchaeus' desire to see Jesus and know Him for himself. Does reproach and ridicule discourage you from seeking the truth?
It is amazing to note that Zacchaeus chose a sycomore tree to climb. There must have been many other tall trees in Jericho. What made Zacchaeus climb up this rather insignificant tree? The reason was that though this tree was not great in many respects, it was standing by the side of the very road along which Jesus was to pass, and was therefore the only tree which could enable him to see Jesus. The sycomore tree is a type of a true servant of God who lives 'in the way' of the Lord. "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen" (I Cor 1:27, 28)
Dear reader, are you looked down upon by the society? Are you an object of ridicule and shame? Jesus Who came in search of Zacchaeus needs you. Seek the help of the true servants of God. They may be insignificant, just as the sycomore tree was, but they are great before God; they are helpful to seekers of truth.
- Late Pastor T.U.Thomas, in "Morning Manna"
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