I love this because it shows how our hearts should be about things of this world. Nothing is ours so we should not let anything trap us into thinking we need it. Knowing Jesus and accepting Him as Lord and Savior is all we need. How exciting is it that we are around when we have the bridge already made to get home to the Father. Zacchaeus was so excited he climbed a tree to even see Jesus; we have Him every day so we should be uncontrollably excited.
Jesus didn’t tell Zacchaeus to do anything, but he stood there in verse 8 and said, “…I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much.” Look at the difference between Zacchaeus and the rick man in Matthew chapter 19. The rich man wanted to follow laws so he could have eternal life. There wasn’t anything to do with his heart and changing the way he thought. Jesus tells him in Matthew chapter 19 verse 21, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. Then come, follow me.” He went away sad, are we like Zacchaeus? Eagar to be with Jesus and give up anything we have or are we like the rich man who couldn’t give his stuff up to follow Jesus?
I want to continue to grow so I don’t ever think about anything but how Jesus lived and handled life and then I want to be so comfortable with Him that nothing else matters and my joy and excitement is doing the will of the Father. We should all be excited because we know the way to heaven and we know the person who has bridged the gap. I say we need to keep our heart growing and enjoy everything we have in Christ. Amen