Daily Devotional For Thursday, October 22, 2026
Good morning Southside! I am following the One Year Chronological Bible reading suggestion and any Bible verses you see highlighted in bold (ex. John 3:16), means it is a link to that verse. All you have to do is click on the reference and it will take you to the verse online. Our daily devotional for today comes from the words of Jesus found in Luke 19:1-10. Today, we come to one of my favorite stories in the Bible from childhood – Zacchaeus. I can still sing the song that we children sang:
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 Him By, He Looked Up In The Tree,
And He Said, “Zacchaeus, You Come Down From There;
For I’m Going To Your House Today, For I’m Going To Your House Today
This story about a wee little man may have its appeal to children but where Luke put this story is crucial. This will be Jesus’ last personal encounter before He arrives in Jerusalem prior to His Triumphant Entry, Passover, Garden of Gethsemane, betrayal by Judas, His arrest, scourging, 6 illegal trials, crucifixion and death on the cross. Saving the lost was what Jesus was all about which included notorious scum bag tax collectors. Rome collected taxes in 3 major cities: Jericho, Capernaum and in Jerusalem. Zacchaeus had Jericho, which means he had a very profitable monopoly also.
Zacchaeus was not just a tax collector, but the chief tax collector. He had underlings so he had one of the top paying jobs of his day, This means he was the head of a tax farming corporation of extortion and this is why they were so hated. He was like the kingpin of the tax cartel for Jericho. He was hated and his littleness in the eyes of his countrymen was more than just physical. He wanted to see who Jesus was. Why? Maybe he was curious as to why Levi (Matthew), who had been a tax collector, was now a disciple of Jesus. Maybe he wanted this question answered: Why would a tax collector, who had it made financially, leave this trade for a life of poverty? Maybe he had heard about all the miracles Jesus had done or he had heard about Jesus’ teachings. We do not know for sure.
It is possible that having it all had left him feeling empty inside and he desires something deeper, more satisfying and lasting. This is what drew St. Augustine to Christ. He wrote this:
“You were always present, angry and merciful at once, strewing the pangs of bitterness over all my lawless pleasures to lead me on to look for others unallied with pain . . . Your goad was thrusting at my heart, giving me no peace until the eye of my soul could discern you without mistake” (Source: R.S. Pine-Coffin, trans., Saint Augustine Confessions, Bk. II, 2, pp. 44 , 144).
If this is the case and it may be, and being a wee little man, the crowd, who would have hated him, probably boxed him out so that is why he had to climb up a tree just to see Jesus pass by. Sycamore trees were sturdy and tall trees and easy to climb. They could reach 40 feet in height. They typically had a short trunk and wide branches. New Testament scholar Kent Hughes writes this:
“The picture of the tiny, rejected man sitting alone, hidden in order to get a glimpse of Jesus, is very touching. He certainly did not want the crowd to know he was there. He had his dignity! He would get a private view of Jesus. The crowd would pass, and he would remain unseen, like an orphan peering through a lighted window on a dark cold night” (Source: R. Kent Hughes, Preach The Word, Luke: That You May Know The Truth, Vol. 2, p. 223).
The beauty of this story is that while Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus, Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus. Their encounter was by the sovereignty of God. This was not a coincidence. Jesus already knew Zacchaeus was up in the tree. This was ordained before God created the universe (Eph. 1:4-6). The camel was about to go through the eye of the needle folks. To show that he was genuinely a changed man, Zacchaeus offered up to 50% of restitution to anyone he had extorted. The law only required 20%. He knew he had cheated many people and now he was putting his entire fortune and kingdom in jeopardy for another kingdom – the kingdom of God. He came to Jesus as the littlest man but left as the biggest man.
Reflection Assignment: How desperate are you to get to Jesus? What are you willing to do, what challenges and odds are you willing to overcome to get to Jesus? If you say, “That’s easy. I do that through prayer.” Okay, let me put the question this way: “What are you willing to do or how far are you willing to go to right any wrong?” How far are you willing to go from being wee spiritually to being big spiritually?
Scripture To Meditate On: Luke 13:30, “And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Lord, I have to admit. I am willing to admit to you that I will confess my sins to You but going and making restitution to those I have extorted, I have not done that consistently. I ask You to help me be like Zacchaeus so that the Gospel spreads and people come to Christ. I pray, Lord, I will do whatever it takes to get to You like Zacchaeus. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly