Visiting with Zacchaeus Again

Zacchaeus' enthusiasm didn't stop with climbing a tree to make sure he got a good view of Jesus. When Jesus asked him to come down and take Him home to dinner, we read that Zacchaeus came down "at once" and welcomed Jesus gladly. He didn't act embarrassed at the attention his enthusiasm had attracted. He didn't think, "Whoa, this is more than I bargained for." He didn't say, "I better ask my wife first," or "Come tomorrow. I have to clean the house first." He just jumped down out of the tree and took Jesus home.

Having gotten to know Jesus over dinner, Zacchaeus quickly and more fully committed himself, announcing publicly that, right then and there, he was giving half of all he owned to the poor. (Now even if you or I would climb down out of a tree without hesitation, I bet we'd hesitate before giving away our stuff.) And finally Zacchaeus really went overboard. He announced that if he had ever cheated anyone, he would repay four times the amount he had taken.

Here's how Zacchaeus made Jesus his top priority:
--he overcame all obstacles to see him,
--he took Jesus home to where he lived,
--he took a hard look at his life and decided what needed to change, and
--he did it immediately.

Not a bad example to follow.