“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately.
I must stay at your house today.”
(Luke 19:5)
Reflection:
Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was. Because of the crowd and his being short he climbed a tree. However Jesus walked up to Him and said these words.
Watching Jesus as a spectator and so keeping Him at arm’s length is neither enough nor acceptable to the Lord. He is looking for a completely different and a much closer relationship. So He said to Zacchaeus, “I must stay at your house today.”
Notice the words ‘immediately’ and ‘must.’ They convey an urgency and importance. Jesus is passing on and this moment and opportunity might never occur again.
- “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6)
- “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
There are moments in all our lives when it seems that the Lord stands in front of us and we are very aware of Him. These may be moments of His first call to us. There may also be other moments when He is challenging and inviting us to draw closer to Him, open up more to Him and be more focussed upon Him.
C.S. Lewis had one of those moments when he paused in his investigation of Christianity knowing that to go on would be to commit himself entirely. Then he realised that not to go on would be not a pause but a rejection. Zacchaeus faced the same truth and took the step.
Response:
Where is the Lord calling you today ….
Prayer:
Lord as You open my eyes open my heart to You as well –and let me draw closer and closer to You. Amen.
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The Light of the world – Holman Hunt
Keble College, Oxford
The Soaring Eagle 