He was like all of us.
He was like some of us.
He was like none of us.
Who are we talking about? He is a man we read about in the New Testament. Most of you have heard about him before. There is a Sunday school song children enjoy singing that was written about him.
This man was a tax collector for the Romans. Part of the riddle says that he was like none of us. I’m sure there is no one reading this who is a tax collector for the Roman government.
The riddle also says he was like some of us—because of his size—he was short.
He was like all of us—because he was a sinner.
Now, what was his name? If you said Zacchaeus, you are absolutely right!
How kind the Lord Jesus was to this little man. He knew what had happened. He had seen Zacchaeus running along the road and climbing up into the tree.
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. That was good. But even better, the Lord Jesus saw Zacchaeus and wanted to save him. So when the crowd reached the spot where the little man had climbed up into the tree, he heard the Lord say, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.” Luke 19:55And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. (Luke 19:5).
We read that he did just what the Lord asked him to do and received the Lord happily. The Lord had reached his heart and conscience.
Has the Lord Jesus called your name? He is calling you now because he wants you to be saved. Be like Zacchaeus and answer immediately and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Then the Lord can say to you as He did to Zacchaeus, “This day is salvation come to this house.... For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:9,109And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:9‑10).
ML-04/22/1984