Men As Christ
Where Iron Sharpens Iron / Proverbs 27:17
Too Short to See
Luke 19:1-10:
At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
Blog:
Everyone, at some point(s), in their life has been “too short to see”. I don’t know anyone, Jesus included, who was born into this world at 6’-plus in stature. So, when you were a kid, you probably shuffled your way through the crowd to get in front of it to see something (e.g. a parade). Or, you might have had a booster-seat for the dinner table (e.g. a phone book) or at the football game. You may have sat upon your Dad’s shoulders to see further, too. That’s what a good Dad does; he puts his children on his shoulders to help them to see. But, isn’t that what’s happening in this week’s Gospel with Zacchaeus? He couldn’t see Jesus, so he climbed up a tree to see the Lord. He didn’t sit there complaining about how short he was or how many people were in the way of his view. No, he was desperately-seeking to see the King of kings; and, he needed to see the Lord of lords. So, even as an adult, he acted like a child and climbed a tree to see Jesus. And, he was Rewarded for his Faithfulness by God. You see, he climbed on God’s Shoulder’s (the tree) in order to see Jesus. What did Jesus do? He came and rested with him in his own home; God was in HIS house. That’s what God does with us when we desperately-seek Him. He allows us to find Him and then the God of the Universe comes and rests inside of us. So, if you’re feeling a little “too short to see” God, just find the nearest avenue to help you to see God. He promises to always come and rest with those that are actively-seeking Him.
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