This passage brought this question to mind.
Luke 19: 1-4 - Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way - he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by. (Message)
The details are key...
1. Zacchaeus was a really rich man but was aware of what was happening in his city
2. He was so desperate to see Jesus that he
- acknowledged his inadequacies
- climbed a tree which must have been beneath someone of his status
Zacchaeus may have seemed "settled" by the world's standards but he remained honest to himself about what - more like, Who he lacked in his life. The other thing is he obviously didn't care what people would say about a rich man "stooping low" enough to climb a sycamore tree to see Jesus. 2 things to note about the sycamore tree:
- It is tall compared to other trees so it must have taken an effort on his part. This can be likened to how earnest our prayers should be.
- It gives excellent shade. So maybe Zacchaeus saw climbing this tree as a way to get to eternal shade
Zacchaeus only wanted to see Jesus but got much more than that - even to his family's benefit just because he humbled himself.
Being humble takes us higher in life - it's a promise from God, repeated more than once:
Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great.*So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes.**
So how "low" are you willing to go in order to go higher? Remain humble...
References:
* James 4:10 - ERV
** 1 Peter 5:6 - ERV
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