Draw Near - PositionSample

Wherever Jesus went, large crowds gathered, and Jesus’ visit to the town of Jericho was no different. People were lining the streets from one end of town all the way to the other end of town. People crowded the streets to see Him.

One of the people in the crowd was a very short man named Zacchaeus. He was Jewish like everybody else, but people hated him because he worked as the chief tax collector. Day after day, Zacchaeus would go from house to house collecting money on behalf of the Roman leaders. He would even take extra taxes to keep some of their money for himself.

Zacchaeus climbed a Sycamore tree so he could see Jesus walk by. When Jesus reached that tree, He stopped and called out, “Zacchaeus, come down out of that tree. I want to be a guest at your house today. I want to spend time with you.”

Jesus had a habit of spending time with people who others didn’t like. The Pharisees and teachers of the law always stayed together in the synagogues and had people come to them. Not Jesus, no, He went to meet people where they were at. He spent time with those who were classified as sinners.

Through Jesus, Zacchaeus drew near to God. He was a changed man. Zacchaeus said, “I will give half of all my wealth to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay them back four times the amount.”

He may not have expected it, but when Zacchaeus positioned himself up that tree to get close to Jesus, he had an encounter that changed his life. Through Jesus, we can draw near to God.