Show Up

Have you ever had a dream of being chased?

“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

Jesus’ offer is remarkably clear: If we look for Jesus, we’ll find Him.

He’s not hiding from us, but closely connecting with Him does take us being intentional.

We’re called to follow Him, to pursue Him.

every relationship we have in life requires us to show up!

We need to make an effort if we want to grow closer to someone.

Zacchaeus showed us that the same is true in our relationship with Jesus.

Our growing in Christ requires we get closer to Christ. But relationships work both ways. Jesus desires a growing relationship with us as well!

Throughout the Gospels, we see how Jesus connected with people.

One might even say He chased some of them.

This “chasing” shows His love for us and His desire to have a relationship with us.

The story of Zacchaeus is a bit different in that we see someone taking great steps to position himself to see Jesus.

Like the fox in the game, we can take action to get closer to Jesus.

The good news is that He doesn’t run from us!

Instead, the Bible says Jesus loves us and wants to draw us to Him.

Jesus showed us that love by dying on the Cross.

Have you ever thought about the idea that Jesus wants us to pursue Him? Some people stay close to Jesus. Others attempt to run away or hide from Him like the squirrels did.

Most people are somewhere in between.

Today we’ll look at a fascinating Bible story about a crowd of people, a man who was not well-liked, and Jesus.

In the chapter just before today’s Bible account, Jesus healed a blind man.

In the chapter we’re looking at today, we read about a man named Zacchaeus who also couldn’t see Jesus, but in a much different way.

Let’s look at the steps he took to meet Jesus and how his life changed because he did.

I also want you to notice how other people’s lives were impacted as a result, too.

Zacchaeus Tries to See Jesus

Luke 19:1–4 NIV

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

Zacchaeus was Jewish like the people in his community.

But he was also a chief tax collector for the Roman government, so he was not liked by many in his town.

In addition to being very rich, we can see that Zacchaeus was quite a planner.

While others tried to see Jesus by crowding around Him, Zacchaeus planned on getting the best spot in a very different way.

We can’t be sure what motivated Zacchaeus to pursue Jesus that day, but we do know that he didn’t give up when the crowd got in his way.

While we won’t need to climb a tree to see Jesus, we can pursue Him like Zacchaeus did.

Jesus Plans to Visit Zacchaeus

Luke 19:5–7 NIV

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

This must have been an incredible encounter for Zacchaeus!

Jesus stopped at the tree, looked up, and called Zacchaeus by name. Then Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’s house.

Zacchaeus’s encounter with Jesus happened in front of a lot of people.

We know there must have been a fairly large crowd because Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus over them.

For us, we can think about the crowd as those who keep us from seeing Jesus, too.

Friends

Family

Neither Jesus nor Zacchaeus let the crowd stop them from spending time together, and we shouldn’t either.

Zacchaeus quickly took Jesus to his house. He made it a priority to be with Jesus.

How can we position ourselves to spend time with Jesus when the crowd makes it difficult?

Jesus Knows Us Personally

It’s a great feeling when someone important to you remembers your name.

In this case, we don’t know for sure how Jesus knew Zacchaeus’s name.

Maybe Zacchaeus was known by reputation because of his stature.

Regardless of how He knew, Jesus calling Zacchaeus by name shows a special connection with Zacchaeus.

He was more than an anonymous face above the crowd.

The same is true for us.

Jesus knows us and wants to be in our life.

We often tell others to invite Jesus into their life in order to be saved.

Here we see Jesus respond by inviting himself into Zacchaeus’s life.

By calling Zacchaeus by name, Jesus made the point that even before we invite Him into our life, He wants to be in our life.

In our Bible story, Jesus walked right up to Zacchaeus and talked to him. But Jesus doesn’t walk around today as He did in the days of Zacchaeus.

The Bible reveals that we can see how the Holy Spirit helps with this now.

He speaks to us when we pray, read our Bible, listen to a sermon, or are just going through life.

Go into Brain Storming Session with God

He convicts us when we sin by doing something that displeases Jesus.

He may inspire a friend to encourage us.

He can give us direction in life and might even speak to us through a vision or dream like happened in the Bible.

Most importantly, He continually invites us to pursue a relationship with Jesus, even if we’re not aware of it.

Zacchaeus’s Life Is Changed by Jesus

Luke 19:8–10 NIV

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Zacchaeus stood before the Lord Jesus in verse 8.

Zacchaeus had simply responded to Jesus’ invitation to come over to his house.

He probably had no idea that his life was about to take a dramatic turn as he faced what needed to change.

Jesus heard Zacchaeus’s promises, and the crowd did as well.

This must have been an incredible thing for the crowd to witness.

As a result, Zacchaeus had immediate accountability for the change in his life.

We all need accountability in our life.

Sharing with others reminds us of our promise to change.

It can also serve as a witness to others of what God is doing in and through our life.

Jesus responded to Zacchaeus’s promises by proclaiming that salvation had come to him.

Zacchaeus pursued Jesus by making sure Jesus noticed him.

Then he responded with joy when Jesus wanted to spend time with him. Best of all, we know that he decided to pursue Jesus with his life beyond that moment.

Verse 10 reminds us that seeking and saving people like Zacchaeus is the main reason Jesus came to earth.

Look for ways to interact with Jesus, and expect Him to transform you.

One of the main things we can get from this encounter is how being close to Jesus will transform us. Zacchaeus took several steps to interact with Jesus. This encounter eventually led to a transformation in Zacchaeus’s life. As we look for ways to interact with Jesus ourself, we’ll see more meaningful transformation in our life too.

Note that Jesus fully embraced each attempt Zacchaeus made to interact with Him. Jesus embraced Zacchaeus in front of the crowd, risking what others thought of Him. This shows us that Jesus was more concerned about Zacchaeus’s salvation than He was about His own reputation (Luke 19:9–10).

Ending

Let’s pause and listen to what God might want to say to us about what we’ve read. These questions are meant to serve as a conversation between you and God. However, you may want to share your response with the group, but no one should feel obligated.

Do you take steps to regularly interact with Jesus? Why or why not?

In what ways can we interact with Jesus in a meaningful way?

Zacchaeus’s interactions with Jesus show us that when we spend time with Him, we will be changed.

As you spend time with Jesus this week, ask Him to show you an area of your life that needs to change. Then it’s up to you to put those changes into action.

Salvation Opportunity

Maybe you’re here and haven’t taken even that first step to interact with Jesus. Or maybe you’ve walked away from that relationship and need to come back. Pursuing Jesus starts with choosing to have a relationship with Him.

God sent Jesus to save you and me because He loves us. Jesus knows everything about us, including the choices we’ve made. Yet He still wants to have a relationship with us and lead us toward the amazing future He has created for us.

Is there anyone here that we can pray for who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus or wants to renew their relationship with Him?

Conclusion

Zacchaeus is a great example of how Jesus took His time with one person in order to bring salvation to him. Jesus didn’t seem to be in a hurry because He even took time to go to Zacchaeus’s home. This gives us a glimpse into a loving Savior who truly pursues us. Jesus is always looking for us and calling us by name.

Prayer

Jesus, there have been many times when You were chasing us, and we weren’t even aware of it. Thank You for everything You’ve done to connect with us. We’re glad that You came to earth to seek and save those who are lost, like we all once were. We pray that those who need to know You would pursue You and receive You into their life. In Your name, we pray. Amen.