And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. Luke 19: 5, 6, NKJV.
Dear God, please stay with us, not only as we study, but for all time. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Another look at our Scripture from yesterday, reveals Jesus’ intention when He spoke to Zacchaeus, “I must stay at your home!” Remember that we are looking at this Scripture from the viewpoint of an encounter with Jesus. He did not go to Zacchaeus’ home for a simple visit. When Jesus knocks on our doors it is because He is seeking to establish a lifelong friendship, that will eventually end with him and us living together, forever. That relationship begins here and now.
Notice Zacchaeus’ response, “So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.” There are two actions of interest here: 1) Zacchaeus came down in a hurry. And, 2) He received Jesus with joy. Both actions reflect a positive attitude on Zacchaeus’ part. We tend to drag our feet when we have to do something that we are not too excited about. We hasten to do the things that we enjoy doing. Zacchaeus was both ready and willing for this encounter. He did it swiftly and gladly.
It is interesting that we do not read anything else about Zacchaeus. His testimony is the last word we have from him -and what a word! What a testimony! In Revelation 12: 11a we read: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
God grant that in eternity we can sit under a sycamore tree and listen to Zacchaeus as he narrate to us the rest of his life, from the day Jesus came to stay with Him!