One Piece Commands the Puzzle

Text:  Luke 19:2-5 - There was a man there named Zacchaeus.  He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax collecting business, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. So, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road so he could watch from there. When Jesus came by, He looked up at Zacchaeus, and called him by name. 'Zacchaeus!', He said, 'Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today!'"

Whatever puzzle you are a part of, know that there is a space in that puzzle board perfectly suited for the piece one might call 'God can!'. That piece, by its very nature, is a game-changer. Its substance influences all else, even when, as a piece it is smaller than all others. God permits the space, and God gives the piece when and how He will. Whether your puzzle board is you personally, your world view, or your place within certain circumstances, 'God can' is a waymaker, a prison shaker, and a chain breaker!

It was during a sojourn to Jericho where Jesus intimated that the Kingdom of God was for such, whose faith was as a child’s, a belief that was unwavering, accepting, undistracted, simple. And the icing and the cake was this: "I {Jesus] assure you that anyone who does not have their kind of faith will never get into the kingdom of God."[Luke 18:17] This is followed by the report of the rich young ruler who was so taken by his own stuff, that he could not go with Jesus, if it meant giving up his things. "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" [Luke 18:25]than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. From the audience it was asked 'Who in the world can be saved?'.Jesus responding, said 'What is impossible with men, is possible with God."[Luke 18:27] Enter Zacchaeus.

In a manner of thinking one could say that Zacchaeus was the proverbial 'fly in the ointment': The typical family and paternal hope of that day, in that hands-on society, was that a son, would be a distinct blessing to eventually help with the manly responsibilities of home and community, and that a good son might connect with a good woman from a good family, bringing stability and legacy to that family... but then he was 'small', not likely a good catch, or a fair match for anyone. Some little folks may have a certain cuteness to them, but scripture doesn't volunteer his being 'cute'. In all likelihood, though he may have tried, it is questionable that he could be as able in work or play, with the normal sized kids around him, and maybe they were accepting [and maybe not]. Some might even think of his shortness as a curse from God, a defect. With this in mind, he did mature with a certain capability, unfortunately in the direction of being a traitor to his people, and a selfish rich man, still short. The implication is that he cultivated a certain cunning and ruthlessness to make it. And though he was despised, and rejected, it is interesting to note that his name means 'purity'.

What happens now is the most Jewish thing that could occur with Zacchaeus, he drops his idol-mentality, receives divine hope, he sheds his hardened heart, and rushes to see Jesus! He is running to meet God!


Now there is a cost to meeting God, and that is as true for Zacchaeus, as it is for us all:
     
1. He had to leave the familiar, and comfortable, and pleasurable pull of his present life.

2. He had to assume the scorn of being a rich, short guy running [the wealthy had others run for them]

3. He had to work those short legs like he never had, running, then to climb that sycamore tree [which is a hard tree to climb]

4. He had to obey Jesus, and enter the mixed, possibly hostile crowd [being short, in that crowd his head and torso would have been near elbows, fists, and knees]
He was all-in, as he bared both heart and home to the one true King!
When the Perfecter puts the 'God can' piece in it's God reserved place, everything changes, and for the work that he couldn't do for himself, Zacchaeus rediscovers his name.

"What is impossible with man, is possible with God." Luke 18:27

Prayer: Thank You Lord, for being available so graciously, having such a mercy upon this soul. Forgive me for the 'oughts' that I have minimized or abandoned, and the 'ought nots' which I have embraced. Help me to will, and to do better, as You have done the utmost on my behalf. I pray never to forget. Hallelujah, and Amen! In Jesus' name.  Amen.

(by Dr. McNeal Brockington)