More Than You’re Looking For

Luke 19:1-9 Often when you begin searching for something you find many things that you weren't really looking for. Zacchaeus was a tax collector. Tax collectors were not popular; they were Jews who bought contracts with Rome, they collected whatever taxes the market would bear, sent Rome the contract amount and pocketed the rest. They tended to be very wealthy, at their fellow citizen's expense. Why did Zacchaeus want to see Jesus? Was he, at least initially, thinking that, "this guy is popular, popular people have money, good time for a tax hit." Zacchaeus was hated, and he was short, certainly no one would let him squeeze through the crowd. He was determined, and smart; he ran ahead and climbed a tree, so he could see Jesus as He passed by. What he saw changed his life. When Jesus looked up in the tree and their eyes met; he felt Jesus looking into his very soul. He felt loved in spite of the darkness that was in there. And when Jesus said that He needed to stay at his house that day — well, that was better than any tax money that could ever be collected. In fact, money didn't really matter anymore, except that now he needed to make right the taxes that he had wrongfully collected. Half of his wealth to the poor and four times to any one that he had cheated. It seems that one's bank account is tied up with one’s heart. If your bank account is not affected than your heart has not been touched. — Think about it! Salvation came to the house of Zacchaeus, not because he gave lots of money, but because his heart had been touched and changed. Seek Jesus for whatever reason you may desire. When you find Him, and He looks into your soul, He’ll change you too.