Seeking to be Found | December 14, 2025

Many of us feel unworthy to approach Jesus, and many of us also quietly decide who else doesn’t deserve to. That tension runs through the story of Zacchaeus. Religious gatekeepers once questioned why Jesus ate with “tax collectors and sinners,” and wealth itself can harden a heart into self-sufficiency. In Jericho—a rich, bustling border city—Zacchaeus stands at the intersection of both barriers: he is a chief tax collector and he is rich. Add to that his short stature and a hostile crowd, and you’ve got a picture of all the forces that keep people from Jesus—shame, pride, public opinion, and the press of the crowd.

But Zacchaeus does something undignified: he climbs a sycamore tree. The crowd spectates; he seeks. Seeking is the pivot. When Jesus reaches that spot, He looks up, calls Zacchaeus by name, and says, “I must stay at your house today.” It’s a stunning, personal necessity. The One who seemed unreachable reveals that He has been doing the seeking all along. Zacchaeus hurries down and receives Him with joy, while the crowd grumbles. Their opinions don’t move Jesus; He has already stopped for a blind beggar and now for a despised rich man. He came to seek and to save the lost—whether their barrier is their sin or their success.

Notice, too, the shape of Zacchaeus’ repentance. Jesus doesn’t command it; encounter produces it. Zacchaeus pledges half his goods to the poor and fourfold restitution to anyone he has defrauded—an extravagant justice that reaches beyond apology into repair. Where the rich ruler couldn’t let go, Zacchaeus lets go freely. Salvation comes to his house, and Jesus names him a true son of Abraham—not a label like “sinner,” but a name and a belonging.

So don’t let the crowd—out there or in your head—keep you from Jesus. Seek Him. Climb whatever tree you need to climb. He already knows your name. He will call you, come near, and change not just your heart but the lives you touch.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Seeking beats spectating every time. Spectators orbit Jesus for interest, but seekers move toward Him with desire. Zacchaeus endures mockery and climbs a tree because mere proximity isn’t enough—he must see. Seeking may cost dignity and comfort, but it opens the door for a personal encounter. Those who seek Him with the heart find Him. [16:41]
• 2. Jesus breaks through the crowd. Public opinion, religious gatekeeping, and inner noise cannot stop Him from reaching the one who calls. Jesus halts the procession, looks up, and insists, “I must stay at your house,” asserting divine urgency over social propriety. He dignifies people the crowd dismisses and centers those the crowd sidelines. His mission refuses to be managed by majority sentiment. [24:15]
• 3. Repentance flows from being found. Zacchaeus wasn’t forced; he was transformed. Encounter creates a new economy—half to the poor, fourfold restitution—repairing harm and reordering desire. Real repentance isn’t just sorrow; it’s concrete justice for neighbors. The love that finds us empowers the change we couldn’t produce on our own. [26:07]
• 4. You are called by name. Jesus doesn’t shout “sinner” into the branches; He says “Zacchaeus.” He names dignity, identity, and future where shame named only the past. To be called by name is to be known and wanted, not merely tolerated. When Jesus calls you, He invites Himself into your real life and writes a new story from there. [33:40]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:25] - Who can approach Jesus?
• [01:25] - Pharisees question Jesus’ company
• [03:44] - The wealthy and the needle
• [05:53] - Jericho: setting and history
• [09:40] - Zacchaeus: chief tax collector
• [11:19] - The crowd as barrier
• [12:57] - Climbing the sycamore
• [16:41] - Seeking vs. spectating
• [18:48] - Jesus looks up, calls
• [19:36] - “I must stay at your house”
• [22:39] - Joyful reception, public grumbling
• [26:07] - Repentance: half to poor, fourfold
• [33:40] - Known by name, invited home

Bible reading

- Luke 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man, he could not because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

Observation questions

1. In Jericho, what made Zacchaeus an outsider twice over? “He was a chief tax collector and he was rich.” [09:40]
2. What did the crowd do to people who were trying to get to Jesus? “The crowd tries to sush him” (the blind man), and they blocked Zacchaeus too. What does that show? [05:53]
3. What undignified thing did Zacchaeus do? “He ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree.” [12:57]
4. What did Jesus say and how did Zacchaeus respond right away? “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” What immediate actions followed in verse 8? [18:48]

Interpretation questions

1. What does the difference between these two lines reveal about the heart: “The crowd wasn’t seeking Jesus, they were watching Jesus”? How might that contrast show up in a person’s life today? [16:41]
2. Jesus said, “I must stay at your house.” What does that teach about His initiative and urgency toward people others avoid? [19:18]
3. The crowd “began to complain, saying, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’” What does their reaction uncover about religious gatekeeping and public opinion as barriers to grace? [23:00]
4. “He doesn’t call him sinner… He calls him by name.” How does being called by name reshape identity, dignity, and belonging? [33:40]

Application questions

1. Where do you personally feel a “crowd” of inner voices keeping you from Jesus—shame, pride, public opinion, busy thoughts? What would it look like this week to push through that crowd? “Don’t let the crowded thoughts get in your way.” [35:32]
2. What is your “sycamore tree” right now—one practical step that might cost you some comfort or dignity but helps you seek Jesus (waking early to pray, confessing sin, asking for help, showing up at group, serving someone you’ve avoided)? “Seeking Jesus is the most important thing that we can do.” [16:09]
3. Who have you quietly decided is “too far” or “not ready” to come to Jesus? How can you make room for them this week—an invite, a meal, a listening ear—rather than standing with the crowd? “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and the sinners?” [01:25]
4. If Jesus said to you today, “I must stay at your house,” what part of your real life would you open to Him—your calendar, your finances, your habits, your family conversations? What would welcoming Him look like in practice? [19:18]
5. What would concrete repentance look like for you—generosity and repair that goes beyond apology? Is there anyone you need to repay, reconcile with, or make something right? “Half of my possessions I am giving to the poor… I am giving back four times as much.” [26:07]
6. How does hearing that God calls you by name (not by your worst label) challenge the way you talk to yourself? What new name—beloved, son/daughter, forgiven—do you need to wear this week? “He… calls him by name.” [33:40]
7. Where has success or self-sufficiency made it hard to depend on God? What is one concrete way to loosen your grip and practice trust—giving, serving, simplifying, or asking for prayer? “It is hard for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.” [03:44]