This week’s story of Zacchaeus is one of faith, perseverance, repentance, and redemption. Zacchaeus was a wealthy and prominent tax collector in Jericho which many considered to be sinful. Yet when Zacchaeus learned Jesus was near, he ran to see Him. However, the crowds were too large and he was too short to see above them.
While many might have given up, Zacchaeus did not. He ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree so that when Jesus passed by, he could see Him.
He did whatever it took to be with Jesus.
When Jesus passed by and saw Zacchaeus up in the tree, He asked him to “make haste and come down, for I must abide at thy house.” Without a moment of hesitation, Zacchaeus followed Jesus and joyfully received Him into his home.
Whether we be rich like Zacchaeus or poor like a shepherd, modern revelation teaches us that “each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”). Zacchaeus surely felt the spark of his divine nature and divine love when he was near Jesus because he did whatever it took to be near Him. He so willingly followed Him. He opened his heart and home to Him.
Like Zacchaeus, can we climb above the noise and crowds of the world to be closer to Jesus? Can we more willingly and quickly follow Him? Can we invite Him into our hearts and homes? The answer is a resounding yes! When we gain a testimony that our true identity and divine nature is in Christ, everything in our life will change. We will find ourselves wanting to be closer to Him. To follow Him without hesitation. We will do everything we can to be with Him.