What type of tree did Zacchaeus climb in order to see Jesus?
Correct! Luke 19:4 tells us that Zacchaeus, the tax collector, climbed into a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus.
Read more about this story in Luke 19:1-10
Check out what Max Lucado wrote about this story in the Lucado Encouraging Word Bible:
“Check out the guy in the sycamore tree overlooking Main Street. You’re probably thinking it’s some goofy college kid up to no good. Look closer. That’s a grown man. That’s Zacchaeus, one of Jericho’s wealthiest and most prominent citizens.
Zacchaeus is, shall we say, vertically challenged. He climbed this tree because, frankly, there aren’t a lot of tall genes in his family tree. In his job, Zacchaeus not only collects hefty revenues for the hated Romans, but he also tacks on excessive surcharges and made-up fees, which he pockets for himself. In short, Zacchaeus cheats and gouges his own neighbors.
Strange, isn’t it, that Jesus, Israel’s most talked-about religious leader, is passing through town, and this irreligious guy has gone to great lengths to try to get a glimpse. Watch closely as Jesus goes out of his way to speak to a man who has gone out on a limb. Listen as this miracle-working rabbi calls Zacchaeus by name and invites himself to the notorious crook’s palatial estate. See all the shocked bystanders, their eyes and mouths wide open. Marvel at how encountering Jesus does something miraculous in the heart of a sawed-off social outcast. When Christ offers grace, joy comes bubbling up.
The bigger truth of this real-life gospel “joke” is found in Jesus’ punchline. He says he came – to Jericho, to earth, to wherever you and I happen to be – to seek and to save the lost. Jesus is the ultimate seeker in this and every salvation story. If it’s true that we only love because he first loved us, it’s also true that we only seek because we are first sought.”
About this resource
The Lucado Encouraging Word Bible is an exhilarating experience. As you read, you’ll uncover a saga of suspense and intrigue. Flip over a few pages and find poetry and romance. Turn the pages again and read tales of clashing conquerors, brave shepherds, and a captivating Carpenter. Chronicles of faith, miracles, misdeeds, and good deeds. Kings, queens, peasants—the uncommon and the commonplace. Mystery, suspense, intrigue, drama, humor, poetry, romance…it’s all in these pages. Stories of real people, with real problems, real joys, and a real Savior. All of that, plus some distinctive features will help you see that what happened on these pages is still happening today—that the truths of old are truths for our age.
