And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today, I must abide at thy house. Luke 19:5
Do you remember the first man in space? His name was Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut, and I actually got to see him when he made a visit to Nova Scotia a few years after his successful space mission. Cyrus Eaton had invited Gagarin to visit the Eaton home in Pugwash, and as Gagarin’s car made its way through the towns and villages leading to Pugwash, crowds thronged the route, to see this amazing man who had actually been in space. We had a good view, because we were on a second-story balcony in Oxford, above the folks who lined the sidewalks. There was not much remarkable about the man, just a smiling, balding guy who waved to everybody he could, enjoying the attention and glad to see Canadians. He wasn’t nearly as important as the Person who Zacchaeus climbed the tree to see.
Our perch on the balcony was probably more comfortable than Zacchaeus had in the sychamore. But he got the best view. And his desire to see Jesus was rewarded. What a wonderful opportunity he had, to host the Saviour of the world that day! Would you or I have welcomed Him so joyfully?
Zacchaeus had a choice: he could have remained in the tree and watched the rest of the parade, or he could respond to Jesus’ bidding. He chose the latter and was granted salvation. We had a time in our lives when we responded to Jesus’ bidding, and were saved. But did you know that Jesus extends his bidding to us every day? He wants to come and abide at my house, and at your house. He wants to accompany us to work, to go along as we do our shopping and other errands in town. He wants to be our companion as we relax at home, as we visit folks, as we attend social functions, as we travel on vacation. Are we as excited as Zacchaeus was to have Him come along?
As a rich man, Zacchaeus was able to put on a pretty good meal and to place Jesus in comfortable furniture, probably much better than what you or I could afford. But Jesus didn’t go to Zacchaeus’ house because of the food and furniture. He wanted Zacchaeus to get to know Him. And that’s why Jesus wants to accompany us today… He knows all about us, but He also us to get to know Him better. Do you suppose Zacchaeus had to do any housecleaning before letting Jesus into his house? Jesus’ presence can make a difference in what we have around us, you know.
Welcome Jesus into your world today and let Him change your life. -Jim MacIntosh