HE KNOWS MY NAME!

The Bible says in Luke 19:5…”And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”

HE KNOWS MY NAME! One of my favorite songs I hear quite often on K-Love is, “He Knows My Name”. Some of the lyrics are, “I have a Maker, He formed my heart, Before even time began, My life was in His hands" and He knows my name, He knows my every thought, He sees each tear that falls, And hears me when I call.” Wow! That’s so incredible! Think about it! The Creator of the universe, God Almighty, sees me and He sees you, but more importantly, He knows my name and yours!

JESUS KNEW A WEE LITTLE MAN’S NAME! This a story that tells us so much about Jesus! In our verse for today, the Bible says, “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and SAW him…” Thank God, Jesus sees us, but He sees us much differently than others do and, probably, much different than we see ourselves. When others saw Zacchaeus, they looked down on him, but Jesus “looked up” at him. It’s a reminder that HIs grace always looks up, never down on us! When others saw him, they only saw his past failures, but Jesus saw His promising future. Others saw him as a worthless man, but Jesus saw his eternal worth as a precious soul. Others looked at him with condemnation, but Jesus looked upon him with compassion! This is what moved Jesus to call out to him, “ZACCHAEUS, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” Don’t miss this! Not only did Jesus stop and spend some precious time with a man he’d never met before, but he knew his name. Then, He purposely called him by name. This had to have caught his attention, as well as the crowd who were listening and looking on. Why did he call his name? What more does this tell us about Jesus? First, Jesus is concerned as much, if not more so, with individuals as He is with the crowds. Secondly, He wanted to meet him and have a personal relationship with him. Then, lastly, Jesus was looking at what he could become, not who had been or who he was at the moment. Zacchaeus’ name means “Pure One.” Imagine the shock throughout the crowd that day when Jesus looked up and called his name, “Hey, Pure One!” Several in the crowd must have murmured, “What did he just call that scumbag? Does Jesus know who he’s talking too?” Zacchaeus was anything but pure. He was the definition of corruption. Zacchaeus was a tax collector for the Roman government. He had a certain amount he was supposed to collect from people for their taxes, but the government basically told tax collectors, “Look turn in this much, but if you want to charge more, you can put that surplus in your pocket!” That’s why the Bible says, “…he was rich” (Lk. 19:2). He’d gotten wealthy at the expense of others. That’s why Zacchaeus was hated as both a traitor to his fellow Jews and a dirty, rotten thief. He would have been called a lot of names over his lifetime, to his face and behind his back. But it had probably been a long time since anyone had called him by his real name, “Pure One.” By calling his name, Jesus helped Zacchaeus forget his past failures and ignore what others thought of him. Calling his name helped him focus on the Only One Who mattered and what He thought of Him! Dear friend, I’m not saying it’s unimportant what others think of us, but you can be too concerned with what others think of you! If you don’t live a life that pleases the Lord, it does not matter how many others you do please! But if you live a life pleasing to the Lord, it matters not how many people you displease! Amen!? Zacchaeus obeyed the Lord’s call to him and came down out of that Sycamore tree. That’s when the Bible says, “He received Jesus joyfully” (Lk. 19:6). What a beautiful verse of Scripture! It was the greatest day of his life! Then, the Lord went home with him. In going to Zacchaeus’ home, Jesus was actually saying to him, “No matter what you’ve done, Zacchaeus, I want you! I want to go to your house and have dinner. I want to fellowship with you. I want to have a relationship with you!” Isn’t that wonderful?!

OUT ON A LIMB, WITHOUT HIM? The Lord knows your name! He is calling out your name right now! Could it be the Lord is saying the same to you too? No matter how much you’ve blown it, the starting point of salvation is to hear His call to you to, “Come down” and swallow your pride. Come down from your Sycamore tree. Humble yourself and admit you need God’s help. Maybe you once walked with the Lord but today you sense you are far away from Him. Like Zacchaeus, you’re out on a limb, without Him. You need a restart. That restart begins with the first step! Sure, you’ve made mistakes along the way. But you haven’t lost one cent of your value the Lord. No matter what you’ve done, Jesus wants you! Jesus wants a relationship with you. He wants to come to your house and have dinner. He’s standing at the door of your life and knocking. He says, “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20 NIV). Will you open your heart and la invite Him in?

TAKE THAT FIRST STEP TODAY! What a great way to start the New Year! Stop caring about what others think! Stop condemning yourself for last year’s failures! Like Zacchaeus, Jesus sees your potential, not your past! He knows your name! Think it over…🙏