Are You Like the “Wee Little Man”?
Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling
He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
Luke 19:
Today, we begin reflecting on one of the most beloved stories in the Bible. It’s forever enshrined in a popular children’s Sunday School song:
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see
And as the Savior passed that way
He looked up in that tree
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today
For I’m going to your house to stay.”
Children love this story because they can relate to Zacchaeus. They know how it feels to be too short to see over crowds. And they love climbing trees. So, the story of the “wee little man” resonates with “wee little people.”
Ironically, the grammar of the Greek text of Luke doesn’t actually make it crystal clear the Zacchaeus was short. Verse 3 could be interpreted, “Zacchaeus tried to get a look at Jesus, but because Jesus was too short, Zacchaeus couldn’t see over the crowd.” But this interpretation runs in the face, not only of tradition, but also of the sense of the story.
Children relate to Zaccheaus because of his diminutive stature. Those of us who are taller can also relate to this man, but for different reasons. Have you ever wanted to get to know Jesus better, but felt like you just couldn’t do it? Perhaps you tried to get involved in a Bible study or adult class, but just didn’t fit in? Or you tried to read the Bible each day, but the words bounced off your soul? Have you ever felt distant from Jesus, cut off, perhaps unimportant? Have you wondered if you needed to “climb a tree” in order to see Jesus from far away?
Before we go further in the story of Zacchaeus, I’d like to encourage you to consider your desire to know Jesus better. Perhaps you’re like that “wee little man.”
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Have you ever felt distant from Jesus? Have you ever felt as if you didn’t belong and had to find Jesus for yourself? Do you desire to know Jesus better? In what ways are you “climbing a tree” in order to see him?
PRAYER: Gracious Lord, how I thank you for this story of Zacchaeus. I have known and loved this story since I was young. Why? I’m sure that I once felt a kinship with him because I, like Zacchaeus, was short. But even now that I’m just over six feet tall, I still relate to this man. I know what it’s like to want to know you better. I know how it feels to be frustrated when I can’t figure you out. I know how much my heart yearns to know you intimately, not just from a distance.
Today, Lord, I am aware of how much I need you, how much I want to know you, how much I yearn for your company. Amen.
Life for Leaders Daily Devotional
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