The children sing a song at Vacation Bible School about a wee little man. If you have ever been to a Vacation Bible School, you know the song. I think we have a limited understanding of this story, and I hope our short study today will change your mind about him and why this story is in the Bible.

“And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’” (Luke 19:1-5 ESV).

We learn some things about this man from Luke’s writings. He was not just a tax collector; he was a chief tax collector. He probably had other tax collectors that worked under him.

He was rich, and his wealth came from his overcharging the people. This is how the tax collectors made their money.

Luke says that he wanted to see Jesus. I’m certain he had heard about Jesus and his miracles and teachings. He was probably curious about this man that had stirred up the Jewish leaders. Now he had a chance to see Jesus, but he had to fight his way through the crowd lining the road to see this man, because he was short. He would have been like a child in the midst of a crowd of adults. He couldn’t see around them, between them, or over them.

Close your eyes and visualize this. Can’t you just see this small man, filled with excitement, looking and listening with great anticipation for the man that walked the countryside teaching, healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead? He wasn’t interested in being seen; he was interested in seeing.

As Zacchaeus scanned the road, he realized there was a solution to his problem. It was a tree, a sycamore tree. So, he scurried up this tree and found himself a place on one of the branches.

The sycamore tree is said to grow to heights of 15 to 20 feet. Its leaves are heart-shaped, and it bears yellow figs. The fruit from this tree is not especially appetizing, but the tree is a beautiful tree; and it served a purpose.

Some years ago, I saw a sycamore tree along this road that is said to have been the tree Zacchaeus climbed. It doesn’t matter to me whether it was the actual tree or not. What does matter is that it gave me a new prospective on this man Zacchaeus.

This man was determined. He wanted to see this man who claimed to be the Son of God. And even with the sins in his life, he wasn’t ashamed to be there.

As Jesus walked by the tree, He stopped, looked up at Zacchaeus, and called him by name. “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (verse 5).

Imagine Zacchaeus’ surprise. He not only saw Jesus, but Jesus knew his name, and He wanted to go home with Him. In fact, Jesus said, “I must stay at your house.”

Sinful Zacchaeus hurried down and “received him joyfully” (verse 6). There in his own home he confessed his sins to Jesus. He acknowledged that he gave to the poor; but he said, “And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold” (verse 8).

Jesus acknowledged salvation for Zacchaeus. Why? Jesus told him in verse 10. He said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus came for the sinner. He came for those that need a Savior. Zacchaeus was such a man, but his confession of sins and his willingness to make things right gave him the opportunity for salvation.

So we have a man, a sinner, a man of wealth and position who needed a Savior. His determination to just catch a glimpse of Jesus drew the attention of the Lord from the branches of a sycamore tree, and gave him an opportunity to entertain the Son of God. There in his own home, he confessed his sins, and arranged to make things right with those whom he had cheated.

But there is another lesson we can learn from this story. It is the lesson we learn from the tree.

Last week I received a text message with a picture of a sycamore tree. This is what it said. “Long before Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus, the tree was already planted to meet his need.”

What if that tree had not been there? What if Zacchaeus hadn’t realized the value of that tree and put it to good use? The story we learn from the tree is, when there are obstacles in our way, we need to look for what God placed there that we can use to overcome those obstacles. Just know that if a tree could assist Zacchaeus in bringing about his salvation, God has or will surely place in our path something we can use to put us in a position to learn what we need to do to be saved.

Sandra Oliver