When I was a little boy in Sunday School I loved singing about Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
and a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
for the Lord he wanted to see.
Did you know the sycamore fig tree has a symbolic meaning to Jews in Jesus' day? The sycamore fig was a symbol of hope in the messianic kingdom. The fig represented hope in a future when Israel would be restored to prosperity and peace under the righteous and just rule of a divinely anointed king.
The high water mark for Israel's monarchy was under King Solomon. God blessed Solomon with such wealth that Jesus referenced His splendor in His sermon on the mount. The wealth and wisdom of Solomon, the son of David, was known far and wide. The Queen of Sheba came to see Solomon for herself because of the stories she had heard of this glorious king.
According to 1 Kings 4:25, "During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all of them under their vines and fig trees."
The prophet Micah prophecies a time with Jerusalem will be restored and the gentiles will long to come tot he temple of the God of Israel. Again one of the marks of this restoration of prosperity and peace is the sign of the sycamore fig.
they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. (Mic 4:4)
Interestingly the fig tree was a poor man's source of food. Figs were a ready meal for the wandering shepherd. Jesus and His disciples were poor. They gleaned wheat from fields they passed through, trusting the generosity of their fellow Jews. On one occasion Jesus went to a fig tree outside the temple and found it had no figs. So Jesus cursed the tree. It shriveled and died. (Mark 11:12-14)
The symbol of the sycamore fig is about hope in Messiah and His kingdom of peace and posterity, justice and righteousness for all. The cursing of the fig tree was a way of saying that the blessings of the Messiah will not come to Jerusalem and its temple because the religious leadership reject Jesus, who is the Messiah. Jesus had much to say about the religious leadership's failure to be in accord with God's love. The temple system was not bearing fruit as God desired.
What might it mean that Zacchaeus climbs up a sycamore fig tree?
One thought is that Zacchaeus took advantage of his neighbors by taxing them above the required amount in order that he might live an easy life of wealth. The Romans didn't care how much tax collectors took as long as Rome got its required amount. The rest was salary for the tax collector. Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore might point to his climbing to the heights of wealth on the shoulders of the poor.
More likely Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore fig tree is a sign that he too longed for the Messiah to come and establish His kingdom. Many were saying that Jesus was the prophet to come. Others called out to Him as the son of David, a messianic title. Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man, another title for the Christ. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, for he hoped in the Messiah like his neighbors. Perhaps even more so because of his guilt for robbing his neighbors. Perhaps he learned his wealth didn't give him happiness. Perhaps Zacchaeus realized he needed God's blessing within which comes through a right relationship with God.
There's one more thought about the sycamore. Zacchaeus climbed it because he was too short to see past the crowd. That's the plain meaning. But what I find intriguing is why Zacchaeus could not get to Jesus. The crowd was in the way.
The crowd in the gospels follow Jesus around hoping for a miracle, a word of hope, a blessing, or even something to eat. But is that discipleship? Is following around a spiritual celebrity the nature of discipleship? I think not. While the crowd lauded Jesus at His entry to Jerusalem, a week later the crowd called for His crucifixion. The crowd is fickle and self-seeking.
Jesus once confronted the crowd, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." (John 6:26-27a)
No, discipleship is not being a part of the Jesus fan club. A disciple doesn't follow Jesus around. A disciple steps out of the crowd and follows Jesus into ministry ,going where Jesus sends him or her.
Zacchaeus could not get to Jesus because the spectators were in the way. In what ways is the church today more of a fan club filled with religious spectators? How is our blindness to the "lost sheep" around us an obstacle to those who, like Zacchaeus, are trying to see Jesus?
The mission of the church means to turn our gaze to the lost, those who do not yet know The Lord.
Go and make disciples... or get out of the way. Step out of the crowd and follow Jesus into a rewarding ministry that saves lives and betters our world.
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