Zacchaeus - Not Just a Wee Little Man

My 2 year old has been running around the house singing the children's Bible song about Zacchaeus.  If you are unfamiliar with it, allow me to share the part my son is singing over and over:

 Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see
And as the Savior passed that way
He looked up in that tree
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today
For I’m going to your house to stay”

So I was heading off to church last Sunday with my son singing this song in the back seat.  With the words rattling in my brain, I recalled that I have shared many Bible stories at church but never this one.

Fast forward to this Sunday.

The story of Zacchaeus is found in Luke 19: 1-10.

As I read the story, two things leaped out at me.

Let me share the passage here first:

He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.  And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”  So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.  And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.
And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The first thing I noticed was that the Lord called Zacchaeus by name.  He enters Jericho, walks along, looks up and says, "Zacchaeus..."  

The second thing was the end of the passage where it says Jesus came to SEEK and to save.

I fully believe Jesus went to Jericho that day for Zacchaeus, sought him out and changed his life forever.

It reminds me that Jesus calls all of us by name!  He seeks us out to change our lives forever.

He knows my name.

Humbling!