This is the morning of freedom. He somewhat felt that something was going to happen in his house. He has a lot to repent of, but he doesn’t have enough love power to force him to do it. He is adrift in a sea of sin, which threatens to swallow and sink him. Although he appears cheerful on the outside, he struggles with many inner questions and emotional pain. The saddest part is that there is no hospital where he and his companions can go and be healed.
He knows he is the son of Abraham, but not all of Abraham’s children are healthy like their father. There were a bunch of them who were sick and desperately looked for salvation from their acute sin sickness. However, where do they get it? He is one of them in the list.
In the middle of this acute pain, he heard something that morning. The good news: “The healer is coming to his city.” He must do something about it. Of course, this is his last resort; he has one test to pass, otherwise he shall lose this valuable opportunity. The choice is to be vulnerable. He is very rich. He has the dream life that everybody in his time dreams of. He has money, chief status, and some protection from the government that employs him.
On the other hand, he carries the heavy burden of sin. So, he must choose either to live with his sinful life or to swallow his pride and come to his soul’s savior. In fact, how can he see him if he is not humble enough? He must decide somehow and decide quickly. Otherwise, pride will take his last hope and chance.
One of this man’s defining traits is his persistence and fighting spirit. His current position did not come through mere performance. He had to fight for it. It required cruelty and the ability to ignore whatever came with being the son of Abraham. He had to ignore his people, be loyal to them, and be loyal to his enemy. He did so and became the chief sinner. But today he faced another tough challenge. The sinless healer is passing through his city. He thought about it. He never, ever wants to lose this golden last chance. He doesn’t want to die with his burden. Of course, he has another choice. He could look at this opportunity, leave it, and prefer to live in and swim in the sea of sin. So, after thinking about both options, he chose the toughest one. He swallowed his pride and humbled himself to come to the healer.
While he tackles the toughest challenge, another ticking clock looms. Time. He is running out of time. The healer is passing through the moon city. He is neither sitting nor staying. He came there that day but was only passing through. He heals those who desperately seek it.
For Zacchaeus, this combined challenge of making himself vulnerable and running out of time to get to this healer makes him more humble, creative, and fast. So he first checks the road he was on. When he looks at the road, he was on the wrong one. He cannot get to the healer if he sticks to it. His road should be aligned with the master. He is letting go of his stubborn insistence on having things his own way. He used to be the type of person who insisted on always having things his way. He used it widely. He demanded that his brothers be treated in his chosen way, and that is why he is very rich. The money is not coming from his hard work but from his brothers’ pockets. But now the Savior demands that he change course. He never hesitated. He ran to change and get back on the Savior’s path.
The other challenge is time. The savior is walking. He has a lot to do, and he is fast. For the person who wants to be healed, these are the requirements. He must be in his position and on time. For the chief sinner, this is his lifetime opportunity; he doesn’t want to waste it by being late. He decided to run. Of course, others might say, “Why are you in such a hurry? Just relax; you have unlimited chances to get to him.” This wasn’t his choice. The chief sinner took the matter so seriously and urgently. He never wasted his time. He ran fast and positioned himself to get the master on his way.
But even after all that, another problem remained. He is a dwarf. This was the most difficult challenge he had ever faced on his journey to healing. The master is surrounded by crowds who are tall and can physically and spiritually shield the healer from those who desperately seek to see him. On the other hand, though such crowds surround the master, he doesn’t invite any of them into his home. He passes through the middle of them, not touching their private lives and households.
So that dwarf chief sinner should do something to solve it. While he looked around in anticipation of a miracle, he saw a sycamore tree. Who put it there? Who owns it? He thought about it for a second. Probably it was for this precious time. To anyone around him, the tree was a ladder for the chief sinner to meet his savior. It was a road to the healer, where the sinner could find hope and deliverance. It was nothing more than a push for this desperate man who needed a new connection.
He never hesitated; he climbed the tree so he could at least reach a height where he could see the healer. Now he is visible to the healer, and at the same time he can see him. Time went by. He still waited patiently for the healer to pass by.
Though the tree, acting as a ladder, was not comfortable, the weather probably wasn’t either. Sitting on the tree may be dangerous; however, compared with looking at the master, it was a small sacrifice. Patiently waited to look at the healer in that uncomfortable position.
Finally, the healer arrived. He joyfully looked at him. He was so happy to see the one whom the prophets spoke about. His father Abraham longed to see his days, and all the angels of the Lord bowed and worshipped him. His eyes filled with tears of joy. He is too happy. He enjoys His presence, His majesty, and His ways, and only looks and marvels at them. This was his day. The light of heaven struck him. He is in awe. The scene heats his heart, and the sound of salvation draws near.
While he was still in awe of his presence, he suddenly heard an invitation he had never heard before. “Come down, Zacchaeus; I must stay at your home.” The chief sinner couldn’t believe his ears. Come down?! He thought it was just a wild dream. He was an older man and knew the religious teachers well. They hated sinners. They didn’t even call them by their names. They considered themselves too holy even to touch them, let alone welcome them into their homes and eat with them. But this majestic voice continues. He said, “I must spend today in your home.” I must stay today?! It was an overdose for him. But he is too thirsty to hesitate. He jumps to the ground, bows, and immediately takes the master to his home.
His home is filled with sin and sinners. It is a den of robbers and filth. Once he was tied there, there was no way out. He was forced to live in it without salvation. His entire household is affected, and there is no way to escape. But that day in Zacchaeus ‘ home, something new is coming. The healer never hesitated to go with him. He changed his route. He was passing through the city. But when he saw this wretched sinner, he couldn’t continue his journey. He stopped, looked at him, and changed his course. He left the main road and walked down the alley to the wretched sinner’s house.
The so-called holy religious people did not approve of this action. A huge disappointment followed him. They said he was going with the sinner. He wants to enter their den; many similar opposing ideas and things. But the master never wavers or staggers at their rough comments. He knows his mission very well. He continued his journey and entered the chief sinner’s den. In fact, for him, those places are like a sea full of fish to net. He ignored the murmuring behind him and ran to get to the lost sheep. This is his business.