Opportunity Doesn’t Always Knock

Sometimes it’s on the other side of the door, silently, waiting for you to open it. I grew up in church, but I don’t ever remember the song of Zacchaeus sung in kid’s church. I’ve heard many people sing it as they reminisce about their childhood, but I don’t know the tune. Here are the lyrics (I won’t list them all):

“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”

Looking at Jesus’ words [Luke 19:1-10], gives us a glimpse into his perspective and persona.  At the beginning of this chapter we learn that Jesus was only passing through Jericho when he met Zacchaeus. He had other places to go; other things to do. Then, we learn that Zacchaeus was a short guy, so in order for him to see Jesus passing by, he had to climb a tree.  Here are a few points I want to pull out: 1.) Jesus took time to notice his surroundings, even though it wasn’t his destination. 2.) Because of Zacchaeus’ height, he could have been looked over [even though he was in a tree] 3.) I believe Jesus wanted to see Zachaeus more than Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.

Think through your own life, schedule, and see the busyness.  Often times we get so caught up in the to-do list that many other opportunities, like the one Jesus was presented, get missed, because we’ve got our head down hurrying the next item on the to-do list. Zacchaeus' height is important, because for many of us, especially me, it can easily fly under the radar undetected.  Unless we’re looking for it, we might miss it. That’s what makes Jesus so amazing. Jesus was looking for it, him. I’m sure people are looking for you, to talk to, to share their problems with, to laugh with, but are you noticing them as much as they are noticing you? Jesus is; he was looking for Zacchaeus that’s why he saw him in the tree. And to pull from another story, that’s how he saw the woman who bled for years. He was looking. Are you looking for opportunities, even at inopportune times?

Steve