THE SCENARIO Not so little Zacchaeus climbed up a sycamore tree,
all the clearer the Shekinah Glory, yea, the blessed Lord Jesus to see.
Being somewhat short in stature, reckoned round about five feet and three,
he shimmied up, and up, and up, thus perched with exceeding, anticipatory glee.
O, Lord Jesus do look up, yea, thou full-well knowest, yonder Zacchaeus perched sits,
heart so a thumping, palms so a sweating, eyes so a straining, just to behold thee, even a bit.
And this passionate seeker thou so lovest, thou in turn seekest, yea to sup, nay, ever to be with,
no less thy Glory to reveal, to pour out, upon this passionate seeker, thus for thy heaven made fit (Fig. 1).
In the outworking of this scenario please consider the following:
SENSITIVITY POINTS UNDER CONSIDERATION
1. Where there is a will for God, He makes a way.
2. The Shekinah Glory in the face of Jesus—do you see it?
3. Size matters not so much, mettle matters more.
4. Jesus knows.
5. Passionately seeking God—some shimmying practice.
6. Supping at a Marriage Feast populated with passionate seekers.
7. Dear Christian friend, fellow seeker.
1. Opportune Sycamore trees, they are planted by God. There is always one nearby, and one can find it if one looks for it, indeed, if one is motivated to look for it. Rightly motivated Zacchaeus straightaway found one. ‘…Gotta see Jesus…’, thus motivated, he straightaway found one of those planted-by-God Sycamore trees to satisfy his God-hungry will. No mere curiosity here we suppose. It always works like that, it is the same for any of us—where there is a will for God, He makes a way for the attainment of God, ever in the face of Jesus. We must be rightly motivated, and by God’s grace and training learn to spot His opportune Sycamore trees, which He places before us precisely to help us “see” Him in Jesus, like Zacchaeus thus saw very God in the face of Jesus whilst perched in such a tree. And to see Him, to see God, in Jesus, to be thus convinced, precisely that cognizance, is consummate satiety; it is, in fact, Salvation. Blessed Sycamore trees. Let us be sensitive to their God-purposed ubiquity and utility.
2. What is the Shekinah Glory? It is literally the divine presence of God. His dwelling, His presence, amongst anything but divine, humankind. It is thus precisely, manifestly, Jesus Christ, for in Him the divine presence, that is, God, visited humankind. Christian friend, the Shekinah Glory is in you, it is Christ in you, your, our, hope of Glory (Colossians 1:27). The divine presence is in the face of Jesus Christ (2Corinthians 4:4). Zacchaeus purposed to climb a Sycamore tree to see that Glory, but you and I need but look in the mirror—can you see beyond yourself, to Christ, when you see your image in the mirror Christian friend? Are you reminded of Christ in you when you look in the mirror? Here is a challenge for you and I going forward Christian friend—let us look for and indeed find, and see, Christ in us, every time we see our physical reflection. And let us be anchored and sobered by that divine Presence in us as we live out our lives, and let us be animated by that very Presence, animated in such a way that God can comfortably and easily, can leisurely, carry out His purposes in and through us.
3. Zacchaeus was somewhat constrained by his size, but he was not constrained whatsoever in his determination, his determination to see Jesus. Notice how this determination betrays his will, and drives his actions; thus, he straightaway found one of those opportune Sycamore trees by which God made a way for him to see Jesus. Where there is a will for God, God makes a way—to climb a Sycamore tree as it were—to satisfy said will for God, and mundane constraints hardly matter, mettle matters more, much more, and in this context the mettle, in the sense of determination, manifests in the “climbing;” one must climb. Whence this mettle? Surely it is seated right there where its overlord the will, even the master of choice, thrives. It begs the question, does God tamper with the human will? We think not. He informs, and enlightens, and sobers, but tamper, “groove,” no, certainly not. Why? Specifically, now, as concerns embracing God by way of following Jesus Christ, this decision, Christ died not for automatons.
Practically speaking, mundane constraints do oftentimes pretend to set real limits, but not least for this reason God put a head on our shoulders and gray matter between our ears to prayerfully realize and manage and engage these mundane constraints—but the point is that where there is a will for God, whatever it is, for that, God will make a way, always. And that Way is Jesus Christ, always (“A Letter of Invitation”).
4. Jesus knew that the passionate seeker Zacchaeus was perched in a Sycamore tree awaiting His passage. We can imagine that Jesus took the direct route that led to precisely that opportune Sycamore tree, or awfully close by. Jesus knew where He was going and why (in this context consider Luke 19:1-6). Notice Jesus’ words: “…I must stay at your house…”. Clearly Jesus knew all along that Zacchaeus would be perched in that Sycamore tree—awaiting Jesus no less. We hold that Jesus knew from time immemorial that Zacchaeus would be in that Sycamore tree awaiting Him. Why? Here is the time immemorial why: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost…” (Luke 19:10). Notice please: The Son of Man came seeking… Two seekers “found” each other that day. (It is exceedingly good when Salvation happens that way—it inevitably always does in the end.) Jesus knew all along that the passionate seeker Zacchaeus sought Him, but Zacchaeus knew not that he was sought, by the very One who came seeking lost sinners like Zacchaeus, and maybe you beloved reader, and certainly me before He “found” me and saved me by His exceeding grace and lovingkindness. Filthy, and we mean literally filthy rich Zacchaeus needed to be found, by Jesus. And are we not all filthy sinners that need to be found by Jesus? Jesus knows we need to be found for precisely that reason. Jesus knows. And thus knowing, He came seeking. (It is a testament to His goodness, His grace, His greatness. We praise you and thank you great savior God; you are our Hero, our Master, our Lord.)
5. Let’s do some shimmying exercises; let’s practice shimmying up an opportune Sycamore tree a little bit in the context of passionately seeking Jehovah God. We will put together a little list and you dear reader can do the same if you wish. Please allow us to use the first person, personal pronoun somewhat.
a. My Lord is in and with His people, His Church. I love being around His people, for in and through them I sense His manifest presence.
b. My Lord speaks through His Word, the Christian Bible. He is found there. When I read and meditate upon His Word, it is a blessed time of fellowship with Him.
c. My Lord is right there when I pray; when I am quiet, and predominantly bent on listening, when I am attentive to His voice, by-and-by He pulls me up into His beautiful Sacred Zone (“The Sacred Zone”).
d. My Lord has many dedicated and learned and wonderful servants ministering for Him, I love hearing them counsel and minister and preach about Him and His Word.
e. My Lord is the Master of mathematics and science and technology, far beyond what is understood in that regard these days (and yet a fair amount of the same is known; He has blessed us with much progress here [stunning progress came in just the last two-hundred years], not always utilized well nor appreciated). When I ponder these disciplines and their practical applications, I am always taken aback by His creative prowess, and intellect, and wisdom. And the inherent energy in His person is mindboggling, for all mundane reality stems from that energy—the energy inherent in our God staggers one—and that is only the energy which we can see and behold and so to speak compute. One looks at a clear, starry, night sky (or Hubble images) and is left breathless—it is His eternal mind and creative majesty one witnesses here. Or consider the aesthetics and elegant mechanics of nature per se: a forest, a brook, a meadow, a clear blue sky, a glowing red sunset, a warm breeze in one’s hair, and on and on like that. He is responsible for all that beauty and functional elegance and one is reminded of Him wherever one, in holiness, looks, or listens, or touches. A seeking soul finds Him there and exceedingly rejoices in Him and cannot stop praising Him. Jesus, Jesus is the very Agent of Creation.
f. I seek my Lord’s face when my heart is heavy, and when my soul is sad. It is a different sort of seeking then, usually more sober. Straightaway He reminds me of the Joy of the Lord, and O my how I seek Him then when I dwell on that Joy. And always He guides me back to that Joy—always I find an opportune Sycamore tree nearby that He has planted that I may climb to gain that blessed vantage point praise His Name.
g. I seek my Lord’s face when evil and injustice and prejudice prevails, for He stands against all of these devilish things, and reminds me that though these things prevail for the moment, it is but a moment, for He has triumphed over these evil things and their wicked overlord, that unclean thing Satan. It is an aspect of my Lord’s Salvation which He extends to us and at such great cost to Himself, a cost that came at the hands of some of these evil devices here mentioned.
6. Zacchaeus gladly received Jesus into his home. Can you imagine how delighted he must have been when Jesus, the One whom he sought, whom he greatly sought to see, asked to stay at his house! No question he gladly received Jesus, which logic the text attests (Luke 19:6), thus establishing yet once again, lending exceeding credence to, our sacred text. Well, it is like, you know, you hustle on up a tree to get a good look at someone, someone you admire and have heard a great deal about, and then that someone says, ‘…friend, I must needs stay with you for a time…’. And then imagine that “someone” was Jesus!
And rich Zacchaeus likely had a mega-bunch of shiny coins to spend on the finer things of life; no doubt Jesus was treated to the best by Zacchaeus. But, would Jesus have partaken? He knowing that money, or maybe not insignificant parts of it, had come into Zacchaeus’ coffers fraudulently, and then utilized to purchase said goods? Yes, we think so. Why? Because Zacchaeus fessed up; he confessed his sins before the Righteous Judge Jesus, and repented thereof, as evidenced by his making restitution to those whom he had defrauded and/or otherwise cheated (Luke 19:8). Those shiny “dirty” coins thus became really shiny “clean” coins instantly we reckon. In fact, the Righteous Judge pronounced Salvation upon that son of Abraham Zacchaeus and…his house (Luke 19:9); it follows that everything in that house was straightaway “clean.” But, Luke 19:10 is the clincher—that is why Jesus was there in the first place, to bring said Salvation. One appreciates, then, how that the issue of the “dirty” money became an opportune Sycamore tree for Zacchaeus to climb, to climb his way unto Salvation, where the climbing, the shimmying, involved confession and repentance (restitution, divorcing himself from said practices, and so on); indeed, confession and repentance before, eyeball-to-eyeball with, the Righteous Judge Jesus.
There is a Marriage Supper coming soon at the Righteous Judge’s House to which Jesus, reciprocating, invites Zacchaeus and myriad other sons of Abraham who have tasted His Salvation praised be His elegant, and holy, and lovely, and righteous, and wonderful Name (Galatians 3:6-9,” A Letter of Invitation”, “The Fourth Cup”).
7. Dear Christian friend, fellow seeker, let us be sensitive to the opportune Sycamore trees that our God has planted in our midst—trees meant to help us see, to find, His face, His manner and His ways—whilst sojourning down here in the land of the living homeward bound. Sojourning, ministering, in largely Godless environs wherein it is difficult to see God’s face oftentimes but by the grace He extends to us not least by way of His opportune Sycamore trees. Yes, for to see His face, and fix thereon, is Balm, is Healing, it is Resolution, in all matters spiritual and physical we encounter down here sojourning and ministering; down here, O my down here, where our vantage point is so poor, too poor.
Thank you for your opportune Sycamore trees great Jehovah God. Help us to spot them and appreciate them for what you providentially intended them to be, and give us the savvy and the strength, the will and the wit, to climb them so that we might straightaway behold and thankfully embrace the Glory you extend to us in the face of Jesus our blessed Lord and great savior God, for whom our soul pants as the deer pants for the water brooks (Psalms 42:1).
Exceedingly praised and sought after be your Name in all the earth great savior God. Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES
Figure 1. Attribution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sycomore_in_Ethiopia.jpg
(Ficus Sycomorus or Sycomore is native to the Middle East and East Africa.)
WORKS CITED AND REFERENCES
“A Letter of Invitation.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/aletterofinvitation.html >
Wikipedia.
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_sycomorus >
“The Fourth Cup.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/thefourthcup.html >
“The Sacred Zone.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/scenario42.html >