Make Haste and Come Down - Toni Babcock
"For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,” (Luke 19:10 KJV).
A few encounters in the Bible literally stopped Jesus in his tracks. Spotting a little man named Zacchaeus sitting in a Sycamore tree was one of them. The crowd that was following Jesus must have been mystified, for there was no love lost on Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in town. Hearing all the acclaim surrounding Jesus, he climbed up into a Sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Him as he passed by. But Jesus didn't pass by. He stopped and looked up. "Zacchaeus" he said, "Make haste and come down; for today I must abide at thy house," (Luke19:5 KJV).
Jesus didn't wait for an invitation. He didn't say "Perhaps if you will be pleased to have me, I will come over at your request when you're ready." No such societal correctness recorded. Jesus announced he was coming "today", and Zacchaeus had better get down quick or risk missing the opportunity of a lifetime.
Like Zacchaeus, sometimes it's easier to observe God from our "Sycamore tree". God can't expect too much from us when we're holed up in a tree hanging onto our baggage. But Jesus just might stop in his tracks and look up anyway. And if we follow His command to make haste and come down - who knows what could happen? Exciting, isn't it? Read the whole story of Zacchaeus here, and draw your own conclusions: (Luke 19:1-10 KJV).
Toni M. Babcock is the author of The Stone Writer, Christian Fiction for Young Readers and Teens. Contact | 
