Above the Fray

Remember that old saying that everyone always uses…”Sometimes, you can’t see the forest for the trees.” I feel sure that this saying was almost a life’s motto for one of my favorite bible stories involving a tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus. Poor old Zack was always the shortest guy in the place and I can just picture him when he heard that Jesus was coming through the city of Jericho. He certainly wanted to see this man who was doing such great and might works throughout the region, but he knew it would be like any other time that a crowd was involved….he would have to push and shove and crawl and climb…..Wait a minute, that was it. He needed to climb…..he needed to climb above the fray and frustration of the maddening throng if he wanted to see Jesus. If he couldn’t shove his way to the front of the crowd, he would just climb above them. So he ran ahead on the road that would surely bring Jesus his way, found just the right sycamore tree and climbed up its branches to a spot that assured him the best view of the Master. And then, something great and wonderful and totally unexpected happened…Jesus looked up, saw him and told him to hurry and come down since they were going to be spending the day together…..and before that day ended, Zacchaeus was a CHANGED MAN!!!!
You and I, often, find ourselves in the same predicament as old Zack…we want to see Jesus, but the toils and cares, the frustrations and frantic pace of today’s world, the “to do” list that never seems to shrink but only grows longer…..all these “things” and so much more keep us from seeing the one that means more than anything to us. We want to spend time with the Master and just like Zacchaeus, the Lord of Hosts wants to spend time with us. So the solution is really quite simple…..find your sycamore tree and just climb. Climb above the fray, climb to a new height so you can see Jesus. Leave behind all those “giants” that are blocking your view, find the branch that gives you the best vantage point and just spend time with the Master. He will look up and see you waiting for him and He will invite you to come down and meet Him ….to share a quiet meal as you feast on the Bread of Life and devour His word. When you do this, you will have left behind the maddening crowd, your worldly problems and all that hinders you from seeing the Master ….and there in your sycamore tree, you will meet Jesus.
Have a great climb…..the Master’s waiting!

W. Patrick Queen