Because Zacchaeus was too short to see over the crowd, he had to climb a sycamore tree in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus passing by. This kind of thing happens to me all the time! I wonder what it would be like to be tall.

Zacchaeus wanted to see the same thing other people were seeing. But eventually Zacchaeus came to see something other people could not.Zacchaeus was able to see his sins; he was able to see where he needed to make changes in his life. And because he could see all of that, he could see that he needed Jesus. The other people may have been able to see Jesus, but they could not see how much they needed him. They thought they were okay just the way they were.

One of the hardest things we can do is to look at ourselves honestly, to admit where we're made mistakes, where we're still weak, where we should improve. We don't like to see ourselves as sinners; it's painful. But it is really important to see that we need to work on being kinder, more patient, more helpful, more forgiving, more respectful, etc., because only then can we change, can we become better people. Another way to say this: only when we can see that we need Jesus can Jesus give us what we need to be the persons he wants us to be. Jesus can only save those who know they need saving!

It doesn't matter what we see in front of us; what matters is what we see inside us.

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