Why the tree?

Zacchaeus ("Z") was a man "short in stature." He was a tax collector, which in Jesus' time meant that he was disliked. And for good reason. Not only was Z a tax collector, but he was the head tax collector. And, as was the unfortunate custom in his day, took advantage of that position by adding to the taxes imposed by the Romans and padding his own pocket. 

But, Z knew about Jesus. He had heard about Him and wanted to see Him. It is curious that Z wanted to see Jesus when he didn't follow God's law very well, if at all. 

So, when Z heard that Jesus was in town, he wanted to at least see this One who was getting so much attention. But, being short, he was not able to see Him at ground level.  So, he ran ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree to see Jesus. 

This tree was not an active participant in what was to unfold, but it was a critical piece in allowing the interaction to happen. You see, Jesus knew that Z was in the tree and stopped under it, called Z by name, and invited Himself to dinner at Z's home.  

As Z celebrated this wonderful turn of events, the people in the crowd were angry and disappointed that Jesus would dine at the home of such a man as Z. But this was a turning point for Z's life. Jesus gave Z the unexpected love and acceptance that he had never experienced.

An unknown author has put God's preparation for Z by planting the tree  this way: 

"LONG BEFORE ZACCHAAEUS COUILDN'T SEE JESUS, THE TREE WAS PLANTED TO MEET HIS NEED."

Lessons for Us

Some beautiful truths come from this story that we can apply to ourselves:

• We can't hide from Jesus. Like Z, Jesus provides a "tree" for us to meet Him face to face. This lets us know, and gives us the comfort of knowing, that God has prepared for every moment in our lives -- and has, in fact, prepared every moment. 
• God sees us no matter where we are -- even if we are up a tree or in the middle of a crowd. He invites us into His Presence. Notice, Z did not go to Him, He came to Z. And He comes to us, too, inviting us to be with Him.
• God knows our names, too, just as He knew Z's name. He sees us in the busyness of the branches of our lives and calls us to changed perspectives. He changes our hearts, minds, and our behaviors. Jesus reminded Z that he was a descendant of Abraham and that He (Jesus) came to find the lost and restore them to a relationship with God. God wants us to know Him as Father. He wants us to know that He has never given up on us. He wants us to know that we are seen and known. And in that, He continues to give us Jesus!