I was reading Luke's account of Zacchaeus recently and spotted something I hadn't noticed before. I'm used to the story of the little man who climbed a tree because he wanted to see Jesus. But that's not what Luke says. Instead, he tells us that Zacchaeus "wanted to see who Jesus was" (Luke 19 v 3). And that's very different, isn't it?
If Zacchaeus just wanted to see Jesus, he had the perfect perch - and could boast afterwards that he'd seen this famous guy for himself. But if he wanted to see who Jesus really was, Zacchaeus needed more than that. And Jesus offered it. An invitation to meet one to one. What a privilege!
And did Zacchaeus find his answer? Oh yes. He met the Son of Man (that's the great King who is given all authority by God and whose kingdom will never end - Daniel 7 v 13-14) and found that He had come "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19 v 10).
And it struck me that this is our job, if we're in any kind of Bible-teaching ministry, be that with eight-year-olds or eighty-year-olds. It's not just to give people a glimpse of Jesus. It's to show them who He is, and what He offers, and how they can know Him for themselves. And we don't even need to plonk them at the top of a tree to do it – though that might be fun, too…
Alison Mitchell is a Senior Editor at The Good Book Company, where she has worked on a range of products including Bible-reading notes for children and families, and the Christianity Explored range of resources. She is the bestselling author of The Christmas Promise and the award-winning Jesus and the Lions' Den.
