12 exciting lessons from the life of Zachaeus who climbed a tree to see Jesus

The other day we had a group bible study at one of our brother’s home. The portion was about Zacchaeus, who desired to see Jesus and climbed a tree to watch Jesus passing by. Here is a summary of the twelve exciting lessons we learned from the man Zacchaeus.
Portion: Luke 19: 1- 10

Jesus was going through the city of Jericho. A man was there named Zacchaeus, who was a significant tax collector, and he was wealthy. Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because he was too short to see above the crowd. He ran ahead to a place where Jesus would come, and he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him. When Jesus went to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.” Zacchaeus came down quickly and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to complain, “Jesus is staying with a sinner!” But Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “I will give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times more.” Jesus said to him, “Salvation has come to this house today because this man also belongs to the family of Abraham. The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them. 

1. He sincerely desired to see Jesus

This man had a govt job. He was a senior officer. He lacked nothing, but since he had heard much about Jesus, he genuinely wanted to see who Jesus was.
Do we have a thirst and a hunger to see and know more about God? Do we long to hear His voice? Do we 

2. He had a hope in Jesus

He had heard about the miracles Jesus performed. He had heard that Jesus restored sight to the blind, made the lame walk, restored the sick, etc. 
He would have believed that seeing Jesus would change his life or make him happy. Whatever may be the intention, it is definite that he had a hope in Jesus. 
Do we believe in Jesus? Whatever may be the situation we are in, we can trust in God and hope in Christ!

3. He took an effort to see Jesus

He had attempted to see Jesus, but because of the crowd and his short stature, he could not see him. But he didn’t quit. He ran ahead and climbed a tree to see Jesus.
The desire to see Jesus pushed him to take an effort to pursue his passion. 
How much effort are we taking to experience God? Do we invest time, effort, and energy in seeking God? God will satisfy the hungry souls. He will never disappoint you.

4. He was passionate

He ran ahead to a place where Jesus would come. He planned. He took an earnest effort and laid out an action plan to achieve his dream of seeing Jesus.
Do we plan our time with the Lord? Do we take quality time to read the Bible and pray?

5. He was innovative

He was short, but that didn’t stop him. He found a solution to his weakness. He found a tree and climbed on it to overcome his weakness. He was innovative.
Do we stop pursuing our dreams because of any of our weaknesses? We need to find a solution or an innovative idea to overcome our weaknesses rather than being upset or depressed about it.

6. He was determined to see Jesus at any cost

He was a wealthy govt officer, yet he was not ashamed to climb a tree. He was not worried about what people would think if they see him on a tree, because his only focus was to see Jesus. He was determined to take the risk. 
Do we take such risks to experience God? Do we stop ourselves from pursuing God, worried about what people would think?

7. Zacchaeus obeyed Jesus

When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.” Zacchaeus respected the words of Jesus and came down quickly. 

8. He welcomed Jesus gladly

When Jesus offered to come to his house, Zacchaeus gladly received Jesus. He gave a warm welcome to Jesus and his team to his home. 
Have we received Jesus into our lives yet? If not, this is your day. Let us welcome Jesus into our lives. Our experience will never be the same. Zacchaeus had a life-changing encounter with Jesus. 

9. He was not distracted by the irritating comments of the crowd

Jesus followed Zacchaeus to his home. A great group would have followed Jesus. Along the way, people were murmuring, “Look at this. This good man Jesus is going to the house of a sinner. Can’t Jesus see what kind of man Zacchaeus is! Why would Jesus go to his house,” and so on?
But Zacchaeus was not at all bothered over the silly comments from the crowd. The words of Jesus echoed in his mind: “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.”
The words of Jesus were louder than the irritating comments of the people around him. 
Let us not be distracted by what people say about us. Let us focus on what Jesus has told us. 

9. He responded to Jesus and not to the crowd

Zacchaeus would have heard the comments: “Jesus is staying with a sinner!”. He could have turned to Jesus and complained to Jesus asking them to stop calling him a sinner. Zacchaeus could have stopped there and responded to the people in an angry manner. But Zacchaeus was focused on returning to the kindness of Jesus. Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “I will give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times more.”
Look! Zacchaeus did not respond to the crowd, but he returned to Jesus. 
Do not waste your time and energy, giving explanations to all criticisms around you. Let us focus on what the Lord is asking us to do. That’s what matters the most. 
Zacchaeus did the right thing, and it pleased the Lord.
Remember! Our relationship with the Lord takes the utmost priority. 

10. He instantly decided to change

We don’t see Jesus speaking much at his house. The love of Jesus changed his life. Zacchaeus decided to change (repent). 
Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “I will give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times more.”
What a great repentance! A man of instant action! A greedy man now decides to sell half of his possessions and help the poor. He agreed to repay four times to those whom he cheated! What a significant transformation.
Is the Lord asking you to repent today? Let us quick to repent and do the works of repentance. Let us not delay. Let us do it now!

11. He received salvation

Jesus accepted his repentance and saved his life. He declared salvation to his home. 
When we repent and confess our sins to the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive salvation. 

12. He received a new label

Jesus said: This man also belongs to the family of Abraham. In other words, Jesus changed his name from “a sinner” to “son of Abraham”
When you follow Christ, God gives you a new position in the Kingdom of God.
Here is a video that was shoot on a tree 🙂