For Kids · 4 min with a grown-up
A short man named Zacchaeus climbs a tree just to see Jesus — and Jesus does something nobody expects.
Today's Story
Zacchaeus was a tax collector — and not a fair one. He took extra money from people and kept it for himself. Everybody disliked him. And Zacchaeus was very, very short.
One day Jesus came to his town. Huge crowds lined the streets. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus — but he was too short to see over anyone! So he did something kind of silly for a grown-up: he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree.
When Jesus reached the tree, He stopped, looked up, and said, “Zacchaeus! Hurry down. I'm coming to your house today.”
Zacchaeus could hardly believe it. Jesus — wanting to come to HIS house? The crowd grumbled: “Why is He going to that cheater's house?”
But being with Jesus changed Zacchaeus's heart right there. He stood up tall and said, “Lord! I'll give half of everything I own to the poor. And anyone I cheated, I'll pay back four times as much!”
Jesus smiled. “Today, salvation has come to this house. This is what I came for — to look for people who are lost, and bring them home.”
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- Zacchaeus did something silly — climbed a tree — just to see Jesus. What would you do to get close to Jesus?
- Everyone else avoided Zacchaeus, but Jesus chose to go to his house. How do you think that made Zacchaeus feel?
- Meeting Jesus changed Zacchaeus from taking to giving. How might being close to Jesus change us?