Most of us are familiar with the encounter that Jesus had with the chief tax collector in Luke 19. Every time I go back and read this account about Zaccheus—what he did and what happened with him—I’m always amazed at the new things that I catch or the new things that stand out to me. One of those things, in particular, happens to be not with what Zaccheus did, but with what Jesus did. We know that when Zaccheus heard about Jesus coming, he wanted to get a glimpse of Him; he wanted to see who Jesus was. And so, in his determination, he took drastic measures to see Jesus, and what we find is a tax collector in a tree.

Now, there’s a lot to say about Zaccheus, but notice in 19:5 what Jesus did: “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’” I want us to notice—not Jesus coming to the place, nor telling Zaccheus to come down, or saying He must stay at his house—but that Jesus looked up. It’s a small detail, but profound in its application: Jesus “looked up” to see the lost.

One thing about Jesus is that He seemed to be very aware of His surroundings, and it’s an example that we too should follow. I know that we have very busy lives; we are on the go 24/7, and there always seems to be something in front of us that competes for our attention. But we need to remember that there are lost people all around us. There are people that do not have a relationship with Jesus, yet we have what can help them with that. Friends, just like Jesus was passing through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, don’t forget to “look up” and see the lost on our way to Jerusalem.

– D. Proctor 8.1.25