“Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

and a wee little man was he;

he climbed up in the sycamore tree,

for the Lord, he wanted to see.

And as the Savior passed that way,

He looked up in the tree;

And he said, ‘Zacchaeus, you come down!

For I’m going to your house today.’”

This little Sunday School nursery rhyme portrays a much more meaningful story than the modern Church likes to consider in Western America. When is the last time you pondered the story of Zacchaeus and how it applies to your life currently?

God got me good this week with this particular story. To be honest, it had been a good while since the song got stuck in my head, let alone my heart tried to think through the intent of Jesus’ behavior in Luke 19.

Since coming to college, I have made some wonderful, Christ-adoring friends who challenge me daily to submit more of myself to the Lord of Lords. It is truly an answer to my prayers! But in the forming of these deep friendships, I’ve forgotten about a command God delivers in Matthew 28:19-20:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is not just a suggestion from Jesus, but is a demand from His Holy Father; we, as believers in the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, are called to go into all the world to share about what He has done for us.

This command is, yes, dedicated to foreign missions, of which I am passionate; but, we must not forget about the call to “go” here – your workplace, school, neighborhood, and gym. At salvation, we become full of the Holy Spirit, making us the literal hands and feet of Jesus (pause, and think about that! It is a big deal!). Life is but a breath, so why are we wasting it?

Jesus, in Luke 19, illustrates exactly what we are called to do with the time we have in our day to day lives. It wasn’t extravagant or a skillful feat; Jesus saw people. He recognized the eternal value of the human souls around Him and ignored the magnetic pull of pride, greed, and status. He was not concerned with making a statement for the popular vote (just take a gander at all the nice things the Pharisees said about Him over and over again) or dragging around a supportive posse that appeared fashionable. Jesus wanted to tell humankind about His entrance into humanity and the gift of grace He was about to purchase for all who will believe.

Zacchaeus was not the life of the party; he was selfish, greedy, and an undesirable friend. The religious leaders and laypeople alike shunned him. Given these descriptions, he was also probably desperately lonely in his heart of hearts. Deeper than his loneliness, he was broken like the rest of mankind, seeking the healing touch of a Savior. His god of money was failing, and he was oppressed by his sin.

When Zacchaeus heard of Jesus’ arrival, he was curious of this healer. I imagine him desperate for a friend, but not expecting to interact in the slightest with the famous, controversial man from Nazareth.

Yet, instead of letting him remain another faceless onlooker in the crowd, Jesus detected Zacchaeus’ need and spoke to him. Not only did Jesus speak to most likely one of the least liked men in the entire crowd, but He traveled to his home to spend time with Zacchaeus. The crowds were appalled… Jesus did not care about their prideful, hateful hearts.

Zacchaeus did not understand God could still love him after all his wrongdoing; Jesus’ friendship allowed Zacchaeus to understand that God did not only love him but forgave him and called him to a life of purpose. This revolutionized Zacchaeus’ life! Suddenly, he wanted to make up for his greed by giving generously; he began serving others humbly; he lived changed from the inside out immediately. Being noticed by an unlikely friend allowed a broken heart to find salvation in the only God. What more joyful purpose can one find?

Ignoring people in our paths of life is direct disobedience to one of God’s most crucial commandments. If we are saved by grace, radically transformed by the God of the Universe’s love, we must allow the Holy Spirit to pour out of us as living sacrifices to a Holy God. This includes those who are not as socially admired, like Zacchaeus.

I leave you with this challenge: Who is your Zacchaeus? Who is sitting in a tree, waiting to be noticed around you? Souls are the only things we take with us from this earth.

What if we chose to live like that was true in the way we loved the lost?

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10