Have you ever stood in a crowded room and still felt invisible?
Overlooked? Defined more by your past, your role, or your failures than who you truly are?
If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone—and you’re not the first.
A “Kids’ Story”… or Something More?
My kids have constantly been asking me to play the song “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man.” You might know the one? It’s catchy, simple, and always stuck in my head.
When I was asked to share a devotional at a ladies’ event, I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe this wasn’t random. Maybe God was nudging me to look deeper into Zacchaeus’ story.
I’ll be honest—when I first told Jimmy I was teaching on Zacchaeus, I got a look like… Zacchaeus? For women? Isn’t that more of a children’s Bible story?
But the more I thought about it, the more I felt there was something deeper here because there always is with God’s Word. It always holds treasures for every season of life. So I sat down and started wrestling with what Zacchaeus’ story could teach us… and I learned so much.
You Don’t Have to Stay Hidden
As women, it’s easy to feel “short.” Not in height, but in visibility, worth, or influence.
Maybe you feel:
- talked over or overlooked
- like you’re quietly holding everything together while no one notices
- weighed down by past mistakes or shame
When we feel that way, we tend to hide.
Sometimes we hide in silence.
Sometimes we hide behind busyness, productivity, or being “needed.”
Zacchaeus hid too—literally. He climbed a tree to see Jesus without being seen. But what happened next changed everything.
Because Jesus stopped.
And the beautiful truth I keep coming back to is this: You don’t have to stay in the tree. Jesus is calling you down.
Climbing for a Glimpse
Let’s look at his story in Luke 19:1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Zacchaeus wasn’t just a “wee little man.”
He was a man full of contradictions.
- Wealthy… but empty
- Powerful… but rejected
- Seen… but not known
As a chief tax collector, he was deeply disliked. He worked for the Roman Empire and was known for taking advantage of his own people. He had status and success—but not respect, not belonging, not peace.
He had what seemed like everything: wealth, prestige, and power. And yet… he was still searching.
You see it in his urgency. A grown man running ahead and climbing a tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus? That’s not casual curiosity. That’s desperation.
If we’re honest, many of us know that feeling.
We can have full lives with busy schedules, families, responsibilities, more work than we know what to do with, and still feel like something is missing. Still feel like we’re reaching for something more.
The Tree
Zacchaeus couldn’t see over the crowd, so he climbed a sycamore-fig tree.
These trees are known for their low, wide branches. They’re easy to climb and perfect for hiding in plain sight. Some scholars note that their dense canopy created deep shade, almost like a covering where things could be hidden. Sycamore-figs tree were even called “sin spreading trees.”
Isn’t that interesting? Here’s Zacchaeus—labeled a sinner—hiding in a “sin spreading tree,” trying to see Jesus without being seen himself.
And honestly… don’t we do the same?
We position ourselves close enough to Jesus to see Him, but not close enough to be fully seen.
When Jesus Stops
Then everything changes.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,
“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
Jesus stopped.
In the middle of the crowd.
In the middle of the noise.
He stopped… for Zacchaeus.
He looked up and called him by name—not by his reputation.
Not:
- “tax collector”
- “sinner”
- “cheater”
Just Zacchaeus.
And then He said something incredible:
“I must stay at your house today.”
This wasn’t accidental.
This was intentional. A divine appointment.
Come Down
You don’t have to stay in the tree.
Zacchaeus had a choice in that moment:
- Stay hidden
- Or step into the light and be fully seen
He came down immediately and welcomed Jesus gladly.
But not everyone celebrated.
“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’”
They muttered.
And if you follow Jesus closely, people might mutter about you too.
Let them.
Because the opinion of the crowd will never compare to being seen, known, and chosen by Jesus.
When Grace Changes Everything
Zacchaeus didn’t just come down. He was transformed.
“Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Zacchaeus went from:
- selfishness to generosity
- isolation t0 restoration
- hiding to being fully seen
Jesus responded:
“Today salvation has come to this house… For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
This is what happens when we encounter Jesus. He doesn’t just meet us where we are, He changes us from the inside out.
What Is Your “Tree”?
So here’s the question:
What does “coming down from the tree” look like in your life right now?
Where are you hiding?
- insecurity
- shame
- busyness
- past mistakes
- even success
What is Jesus inviting you to surrender?
Because He is still stopping.
He is still looking up.
And He is still calling your name.
A Final Reminder for Us
As women, we pour so much into others.
But remember this: we cannot give what we have not first received.
Let Jesus meet you.
Let Him change you.
Let Him fill you.
So that what overflows from your life—
your generosity, your forgiveness, your courage, your love—
points others straight to Him.
Living My Full Life 