Girl Talk: Zaccheus was a wee little man

It may be kind of hard to tell from the title above, but we are still talking about being honest with ourselves and also with God. Before we can move forward, we have to get a handle on that. Let’s take a look at what getting real with Jesus looks like …

There is a story in the Bible about a really short guy named Zaccheus. You may have been introduced to him when you were small and in children’s church. Maybe you even sang this song:

Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see
And as the Savior passed that way
He looked up in that tree
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today
For I’m going to your house to stay”

You can read the entire story in Luke 19:1-9, but let me set the scene for you. Jesus knew his days on the earth were few, and as he was making his way to Jerusalem he made a stop in Jericho. Now Zacchaeus was a Jewish man who lived there as a chief tax collector for the Roman government. Tax collectors were known for charging more than was owed and pocketing the difference. Not only was Zacchaeus a tax collector – he was the chief of them all – and he was very wealthy. He was a cheat and the type of person that was despised among men.

Even still, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. He obviously had heard of Jesus’ gentleness, forgiveness and love for all people. So, Zacchaeus wanted to check out Jesus, but only from a distance. Was this Jesus safe, would he still accept me if he knew the truth about me? As Jesus approached the tree and spoke to him, Zacchaeus was compelled to respond to the face-to-face encounter with Jesus.

Luke 19:8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Zacchaus' first response to Jesus was a confession. Under all the sins, all the selfishness, we can see there is a tenderness inside. We all have it. We long to be real with Jesus, but admitting all our issues seems too much to handle. Have you ever felt like Zacchaeus? Are you afraid of a face-to-face encounter with Jesus?

(Excerpt from Girl Talk) It’s not scary for the real you to stand in front of Jesus, either. In Scripture, Jesus welcomed every honest sinner, no matter the sin. He loved each one fiercely. There is no condemnation … there is only forgiveness and wholeness.

Oh, Girls, that moment of truth is worth every moment of freedom that comes after it. It’s such a relief to say the worst thing about yourself and find Jesus still standing there, arms open. And here is where we begin because we learn about safe relationships. We discover the joy of being accepted. We find out that Jesus doesn’t leave or condemn.

And when we experience this place of grace, we learn to extend it to our other relationships. We learn to choose forgiveness over bitterness, compassion over selfishness, mercy over judgement, honesty over pretending. When our friendships mimic our relationship with Jesus, there is delight unheard of. We become a community of grace …

Are you ready to get real?