The Story of Jesus and Zacchaeus
Children's Chapel, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller, Texas. October 30, 2022
All images are provided with the permission of www.LumoProject.com.
The Story of Jesus and Zacchaeus
Jesus was becoming famous. Wherever He went, He taught in parables and performed miracles. Everybody who heard about Him wanted to meet Him. He decided to visit Jericho and spread the Good News there.
One of the people in Jericho was a man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was not a good man. He was a tax collector. He forced his fellow Jews to pay taxes to Caesar, and sometimes he kept some of the money for himself. This cheating of others had made him very rich, and most of the Jews around him hated him.
When Zacchaeus found out that Jesus was coming to Jericho, he felt a strong urge to see Him. He wasn't sure why. Maybe somewhere down deep, he wanted to be forgiven. But he was certain he had to see Jesus.
Zacchaeus got to the meeting place, determined to see Jesus. But wait! The crowd to see Jesus was huge. There were people everywhere! And they were all so tall!
Zacchaeus was short.
Really short.
He could not see anything. All he could see was the back of people's heads. Nobody would let him push to the front because he was a tax collector and nobody liked him. What was Zacchaeus to do?
"Aha!" he said to himself. "I'll climb a tree! Then I can see Jesus!"
Now, in those days grownups did not climb trees. It just wasn't dignified. But Zacchaeus didn't care. He was going to see Jesus if it was the last thing he ever did!
Zacchaeus Climbs the Tree
So, he found a tree. It was the biggest tree in town, a majestic sycamore tree. He climbed up the trunk and settled himself in the branches. He was able to see Jesus! Of course, people could see Zacchaeus, too, and they began to point and laugh.
"Look at Zacchaeus!" they exclaimed. "He's stuck in the tree! Doesn't he look silly? What is he doing up there?"
Jesus looked up. He saw Zacchaeus, and He could tell that the people were laughing at him. Then Jesus did a very kind thing.
"Zacchaeus!" He called out. "Come down from that tree! I want to come over to your house for dinner!"
Now, that was a great honor, to be Jesus' host. Zacchaeus climbed back down, praising God with joy. Not only was he going to see Jesus, but Jesus was going to be his friend!
Some of the Jews became angry. "Doesn't Jesus know who that man is?" they asked each other. "He's a cheat! A crook! A sinner! Jesus should stay with a good person instead. Somebody like me!"
Zacchaeus was overcome with the love of God. Something about him changed inside, and he found himself making promises to God. "I will do better! I will give half of everything I have to the poor! And if I've cheated anybody, I will pay them back! I will pay four times as much!"
Jesus said, "This is the reason I am here. I am here to find people like Zacchaeus. I didn't come to reward people who think they are righteous. I came to help people who know they are sinners."
Jesus Loves You When You Make Mistakes
Jesus loves you, no matter what you do. He loves you as much when you mess up as He does when you do things right. If you do something wrong, don't be afraid of God. Tell yourself the truth. Tell the truth to the person you hurt, and then make it right. God will forgive you.
Thanks to the Lord for forgiving us when we are wrong. Help us to see our mistakes and fix them so we can lead a better life every day.
Zacchaeus Craft
We concluded this Children's Chapel with a simple craft that shows Zacchaeus sitting in the tree.
Cut concave partial circles out of each half of a paper lunch bag to make the tree trunk.
Cut several puffs of leaves out of green construction paper for the tree in each craft.
Color the picture of Zacchaeus and cut it out.
Glue Zacchaeus and the leaves on the tree.
Praise the Lord for loving us, even if we make mistakes.
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