Planning to See Jesus Today
The story of Zacchaeus, the short tax collector that climbed a tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:1-10), has so many lessons in it. Here, in this short post, I want to share one obvious insight that made a fresh impact on me.
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus on the day that Jesus was passing through Jericho. Because he was too short to spot Jesus amongst the crowd, he planned ahead. "He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way" (italics added).This says a lot about his intention, his desire. He would not be deterred, but he would see this man that was the talk of the region.
I imagine him looking around frantically, perhaps thinking he would miss out, when he spotted a sycamore tree. Immediately he realized that that tree hung right over the path Jesus would travel, so he quite literally climbed up and placed himself at a point where Jesus' life would momentarily intersect with his. Because of this intersection his whole life changed.
This story reminded me that I get to choose whether or not I will place myself in a path that will have Jesus intersect with me, and me with him. If I do not choose I may be stuck in a situation where everyone else sees him, but I am left out. But if I plan to see him, he, in his mercy, will see me, and call me. So I have to choose daily.
I think this could be a daily thing for disciples, a discipline of sorts. Because everyday we wake up in neutral and we get to choose how we will spend our days. We may not have the freedom to do whatever we want, but within the restrictions of our day (work, school, parenting, etc) we can choose to do what we do in such a way that we cross paths with Jesus.
What are the sycamore trees we can climb up so that we can see and be seen by Jesus? Well, I think there are many. The well worn and reliable ones include prayer, reading scripture, etc. But more important than the means we employ is the intentions of our hearts. Remember, Zacchaeus climbed the tree because he wanted "to see him." That intention is, in my opinion, what caused Jesus to look up and see Zacchaeus. Because one of the promises of God is:
“When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord.”
There is something about our intentions that grabbed God's attention. When you intend to see him, he will cause his path to intersect with yours, and he will look you directly in the eyes.
This probably isn't revelatory for many readers, but it was a reminder that I needed today, and I hope it was helpful to you as well.
Thanks for reading.