He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. (Luke 19:3, NIV)
I was talking to a couple of Links Players about the Masters, discussing how when Tiger Woods plays a tournament the crowds that follow him are so huge.
Have you ever been to a tour event when the crowds were so deep that you could not see through the people to find the player you came to watch? If you are short like me, you want to jump on someone’s shoulders to see that player making the shot! I even tried using a cardboard periscope; it was just not the same.
This is how it is everywhere Tiger plays. Crazy!
Just how far would you go to see a player on a golf course? What tricks would you pull out of the bag to get one good glimpse?
In today’s passage we encounter a man named Zacchaeus. He was a wealthy tax collector. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd (see Luke 19:2-3).
Zacchaeus’ dishonest gain as an unscrupulous tax collector meant that he did not have a lot of close friends. No buddy was lending his shoulders for Zacchaeus to jump on. So instead he climbed a tree to see Jesus.
Jesus noticed Zacchaeus in that tree and urged him to come down. Jesus wanted to stay at his house! Can you imagine what was going through old Zach’s mind and in his heart? He must have been nervous and excited all at once, saying to himself, “Me? Really? Do you know who I am, what I do for a living? I am the last one you want to hang out with!”
If you’re like me, you feel that way at times. God may prompt you to do something that seems bigger than you are, to step out, to take the lead. But you would think, Not me! You have the wrong person, Lord.
What I have learned over time is that with God we can do anything; we just have to be willing to be available. Some time ago, Jim Hiskey shared with me the popular acronym: FAT – Faithful, Available, Teachable. If we are all of these, God can do so much through us.
When Jesus asked Zacchaeus to come to him, here’s how the little man responded: “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” (Luke 19:8). Jesus doesn’t just change our hearts, he changes our minds. He makes us willing to serve him in unpredictable ways—unpredictable to our critics and even some of our friends, that is. But God knows what we are capable of and he is happy to move us. Let’s never resist him!
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Dereck Wong
May 13, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.