Revcort's Ramblings

Scripture Focus

“So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’” — John 19:4–5 (ESV)

Devotional Thought

Most of us know the story of Zacchaeus. Many of us learned the children’s song growing up: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he…”

We tend to admire Zacchaeus’ determination. Despite being short and disliked by his community, he ran ahead, climbed a sycamore tree, and positioned himself where he could catch a glimpse of Jesus.

But during camp this week, our pastor pointed out something I had never really considered. The real wonder of this story is not that Zacchaeus climbed a tree. The real wonder is that God had been preparing that tree for decades.

That sycamore didn’t spring up overnight. Twenty years or more before Zacchaeus ever climbed its branches, God caused that tree to grow exactly where it needed to be. Long before Zacchaeus knew he needed a Savior, God was arranging the circumstances that would lead him to an encounter with Jesus.

That is the story of salvation.Jesus Himself said He came “to seek and to save the lost.” Zacchaeus wasn’t simply searching for Jesus. Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus.

If we’re honest, every one of us is Zacchaeus. We are sinners who desperately need God’s mercy. We often think we found Christ, when in reality He had been pursuing us all along.

When I think back on my own life, I can see God’s hand at work years before I ever trusted Christ. My parents came to faith only a couple of years before I was born. Their conversion changed the direction of our family. It changed how they viewed marriage, parenting, and church. God planted seeds in their lives long before He planted the seed of faith in mine.

Looking back, I can see that God was preparing my “sycamore tree” long before I ever climbed it. Can you? Perhaps God placed faithful parents, grandparents, pastors, teachers, or Christian friends in your life. Perhaps He allowed certain hardships, disappointments, or even unanswered questions to prepare your heart for the day you would hear His voice.

None of those things were accidents. We marvel at a short man’s courage to climb a tree, but we should marvel even more at God’s sovereign grace that had been arranging every detail long before Zacchaeus ever took his first step toward that tree.

Our salvation begins not with our pursuit of God, but with His loving pursuit of us.

Reflection Questions

1. Looking back, where can you see God’s hand preparing your life before you trusted Christ?

2. Who did God use to help point you toward the gospel?

3. How does Zacchaeus’ story remind you that salvation is ultimately God’s work?

4. How can remembering God’s sovereign pursuit increase your gratitude and worship today?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me long before I ever sought You. Thank You for working behind the scenes throughout my life, arranging circumstances and placing people in my path so I would hear the gospel. Help me never to forget that my salvation is a testimony to Your sovereign grace and Your faithful pursuit of sinners. Fill my heart with gratitude, and use my life to point others to the Savior who still seeks and saves the lost. In Jesus’ name, Amen.