15
Day
The Sycamore Tree
Mykaela Alvey , OMS ’ Men for Missions
Luke 19:1-4
[ Jesus ] entered Jericho and was passing through . And behold , there was a man named Zacchaeus . He was a chief tax collector and was rich . And he was seeking to see who Jesus was , but on account of the crowd he could not , because he was small in stature . So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him , for he was about to pass that way .
Many of us heard about Zacchaeus through a church song we learned as kids . It took me a while after those days of singing about “ a wee little man ” to recognize how significant Zacchaeus ’ experience really is . What I like most about this story is that , at first glance , the tree Zacchaeus climbs looks fairly insignificant . Yet , it plays an important role in his salvation ! If Zacchaeus had not climbed it , he wouldn ’ t have seen Jesus .
In contrast to the sycamore tree ’ s perceived minor role , the large impact of COVID-19 has permeated our lives for two years now , significantly altering not only how we do life but also how we do missions . Despite these setbacks , missions hasn ’ t stopped . Why ?
Because we Christians are the sycamore trees like that of Zacchaeus ’ story . Small moments and little things that seem minor could actually be a branch for someone to climb and see Jesus . These little moments exist every day . We are living , breathing , walking testimonies of God ’ s grace . Every interaction can be an opportunity for someone to meet Jesus .
Ministry looks different these days , but , as shown by the sycamore tree , seemingly small things can bring the most life-changing moments .
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