And he was looking to see who Jesus was, but he could not from the crowd, because he was a little person.
Luke 19:3
Zacchaeus was born with a name that meant his parents expected he would be ‘pure and innocent’. But not far into his life it became obvious that he would have a unique physical characteristic that his society would not accept well. The Greek here indicates that he was not simply shorter than most. Zacchaeus was, very likely, a little person.
And just as the blind man earlier in this chapter, Zacchaeus had a different understanding of Jesus than most of the people. He understood the significance of Jesus, and he wanted so very much to see Him because of it. He knew that Jesus held the key to the innocent purity that his society had refused to ascribe to him.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and understanding. You know our makeup. Many of us may think well of ourselves because society accepts us. But, truly, only being accepted by You makes any difference at all. You are the ‘measure of a man’, and only You can determine our true value. We praise You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.