Zacchaeus had positioned himself on a tree to see Jesus, because Jesus was going to go past that way. But, how could Zacchaeus have been sure that Jesus was going to go that way? He simply had an expectation, and when he positioned himself in line with his expectation, Jesus met him there. You see, expectation meets with opportunity…. In light of this truth, we must ask ourselves what our expectations are, because the Bible says that our expectations shall not be cut off! (Proverbs 23: 18)
As with Zacchaeus, the Lord meets us at the point of our expectations. Therefore, we must not stop expecting miracles. The sad and terrible events of life should not rob us of expectation and hope. We must keep our hopes alive and fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12: 2).
In Philemon 1:22, Apostle Paul was writing to Philemon from prison, but he fully expected to come out and to visit his friend again, so he asked Philemon to prepare a room for him! He was sure that the prison was not his destination. Similarly, the challenges we go through are not the destination; there is more ahead, and we must stay expectant.
Routine is the enemy of expectation. In Acts 3: 1-7, the beggar at the gate called Beautiful was laid there daily to beg. When Peter and John met him, they offered him a different perspective, which stirred up his expectation, and he received his healing. Before this point, he had been stuck in a routine of begging that did not benefit him.
Zacchaeus had also been stuck in a certain negative lifestyle, and he had developed a bad reputation for it. Regardless of this, when Jesus came by where Zacchaeus was He called Zacchaeus by name and determined to go to his house. This shows that Jesus knew Zacchaeus' name, pain and shame, and still loved him all the same!
Here are four things to note-
- Jesus knew Zacchaeus and knew his negative reputation
- Jesus did not condemn him
- Jesus embraced him
- Jesus identified with him by eating in his house
It is beautiful to see how Zacchaeus responded to the love that Jesus showed him; verse 6 says that he received Jesus warmly. He didn't allow his shame or the murmurs of self-righteous people to deprive him of the presence of Jesus. The result was that he and his household received salvation (verse 9). This is the most important part of the story, and it poses a challenge to each of us- a challenge to reach out and receive all that God has for us.
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