Invitation

“When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. ‘Zacchaeus!’ He said. ‘Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.’ Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.” – Luke 19:5-6

Truth be told, it’s easy to watch Jesus from a distance.

I love the story of Zacchaeus in Luke’s gospel. We don’t know much about our friend, Zacchaeus. He was short, he was a tax collector and there was something about Jesus that intrigued him. That’s about it. So, upon hearing that Jesus was coming through, he climbs up a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of this “Messiah” he had heard so much about. As Jesus walks by, the unexpected happens: Jesus looks up. He catches the eyes of the one looking down on him from a sycamore tree and calls out to him by name. And on the other side of his name? An invitation to come down. A chance to break bread and enter into a deeper relationship with the One he was checking out.

If you didn’t know, tax collectors didn’t have the greatest reputation in Jesus’ day. They were known to be dishonest, skim excess money off the top of what they collected from people and lived extravagant, dishonest lifestyles. And isn’t that what’s beautiful about this story? How did Jesus engage Zacchaeus? He didn’t give him a lecture. He didn’t make assumptions and keep walking. He didn’t judge him for his profession. Instead? He invited him into a relationship.

Following Jesus starts here —> with a relationship.

Here’s the thing. You can’t enter a relationship with someone from a distance. Jesus calls us all into a deeper relationship with Him.

My prayer for you, friends, is this one: that you not simply settle for knowing about Jesus. Instead, let this thought take your breath away: Just as Jesus called Zacchaeus by his name, He knows our name, and He invites us to walk alongside Him as we find true life in Him.

Perhaps you’re watching from a distance. Good news. It’s never too late to come down and take a walk with Jesus. As you do, may you find the very same things Zacchaeus found when he took Jesus up on his offer: excitement and joy traveling alongside Jesus.