Zacchaeus was fed up with the kind of life that he was leading. He must have felt the pain of rejection. Obviously no one would have been inclined to be friendly with a man who received more than what he should . Here too we see man who was keen on amassing wealth. But he too like the rich young man must have felt a vacuum him. Money can be a good servant but will be a tyrannical master if permitted. He was sapped of all joys of life and finally he must have heard about Jesus who befriended all sinners. While the order of the world was to reject all that was messy and dirty, he heard of a man who never rejected sinners. He also much have heard that He gave a new lease of life to all around. Impelled by the desire to see this man, he ran up a tree unmindful of the crowd that watched this small extractor running so wildly tossing all sense of decorum to the winds.

If the search is genuine, one will not be bothered about the surrounding. His heart beat fast as his eyes were fixed on the awesome figure that was passing beneath. Jesus responded to his thirst and looked up. At that very dramatic moment, Zacchaeus heard the words.” "I want to come to your house.” Jesus looks at our heart and wants to bless our life.In his house he was convicted of his sins and confessed”.

When he decided to change making the necessary restitution, Jesus said, “"Salvation has come”. Desire to see Jesus and personal encounter are two things that are common in the rich young man and Zacchaeus.

When Zacchaeus repented, and decided to give away his money he proved without doubt that his first allegiance was to Jesus. On the other hand, the rich young man had to go away because he did not like to let go his misplaced priority.

Dr. (Mrs.) Edriana Jeyasingh