Being Somebody

 December 19, 2024

Thursday

Luke 19:2-6 (ESV) ²  And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³  And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. ⁴  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. ⁵  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.” ⁶  So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.

My wife and I went to a concert in Washington D.C. recently. The musical director of this concert also played keyboards and acoustic guitar in the band. We had known him almost thirty years prior at another church. So, we decided to say "hi" and to really see if he even remembered us. Well, he didn't recognize us by out looks. (Thirty years will do that for you.) But as soon as we said our names, he smiled broadly and said "Wow, I'll have to tell everyone I saw you when I get back." 

I guess all of us want to be somebody. We may not want to be famous but we want to be recognized. We want to hear that we are valuable to someone. So, can you imagine what Zacchaeus felt when Jesus called his name. He had merely climbed a tree so that he could see Jesus passing by, but the Lord Himself called him by name.

Never believe that you called on Jesus before He called on you. He made the invitation for you to know Him. He came to stay at your house. You just had to climb down out of your tree and welcome Him.

There is something else I realized. The musical director in that concert (and tour) lifted me up rather than dismissing me. I have greeted several people I knew in the past who knew me but made it very clear that they were too famous to greet me back. I know I am not famous but I still do not ever want to make people believe that they aren't important. They were all important enough for Jesus to die on the cross. How can I dismiss them?

Make sure you make people as important as you are to the Lord.