Zacchaeus was a wee, little man…. If you grew up attending Sunday school class, chances are you immediately finished the rest of this line with …and a wee, little man was he.
Big stories start small, and the story of Zacchaeus’ interaction with Jesus is no exception. This man of small stature could not even see the Messiah through the crowds of people flocking about Him, but in desperation to get a view of the Savior passing by, little Z. ran ahead of everyone and climbed a tree. I doubt if he expected Jesus to even notice him hidden there in the branches, but not only did Jesus notice the smallness of Zacchaeus, He invited Himself over for dinner.
Jesus invited Himself into the life of smallness with BIG plans in mind.
Jesus’ plan of salvation would radically transform the hated tax collector into a disciple of Christ. That one small seed of salvation took root and grew into a stalwart producer of righteousness. How else can we explain the heart transformation that caused Zacchaeus to repay everyone four times the amount of money that he had stolen from them?
A small decision to climb a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus became a story big enough to be repeated through the centuries. Thousands upon thousands of children and adults alike can sing a song about Zacchaeus, a wee, little man whose life was changed by a BIG God. Today, that man known for being small is also remembered as living BIG for Christ.
Looking back through the pages of the Bible, it is easy for us to see BIG stories, but that is only because we have the perspective from history’s side of the tale. In reality, most of the BIG stories started with smallness.
A word… the universe came into being.
A babe in a basket floating down a river… the deliverer of an enslaved nation.
A shepherd boy… the king of Israel.
Five loaves and two fish… a meal for a multitude.
A mustard seed of faith… mountains move.
A babe born in a manger… salvation for all mankind.
One small, empty tomb… the defeat of death for eternity.
In God’s kingdom, the humble are exalted. Servants reign. The last finish first.
Small becomes BIG.
Take a lesson from Zacchaeus as you go out of your way to get a glimpse of the Savior. Who knows… today may be the very day Jesus looks at you and invites Himself over to your house with BIG plans in mind.
This post was written in conjunction with Five Minute Friday, a weekly challenge to write from a word prompt and link up with others over at http://www.lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday. Join us today in writing about “small.”
Mere Whispers 
♫ and a wee little man was he – he climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see! If I wasn’t typing I’d be doing the hand motions along with the tune. Great post on “small things”. Enjoyed!
This song always makes me smile – and I smiled at the list you made of small things being used in big ways for God. sweet. sweet encourgement on how we shouldn’t mis-percieve what we do in our lives!
Such encouragement to think about the small decision I make and how big God can make them – glad to have found this on #FMF today
I’m so grateful our Lord can take our small offerings and add His grace to produce such amazing blessings! Thanks for the encouragement, everyone.