A man in a tree. Rather undignified, is it not? To read that a chief of the tax collectors should run to a tree and climb up its trunk and sit on one of the branches strikes us as something unusual. Curious boys may act in that way, but a rich Jew who is an official, that is another matter.

Something very important was Jesus of happening in Jericho. Nazareth was passing through . A little man put aside his dignity and found a place where he could see Jesus. He must have heard of the Miracle Worker, the Great Teacher. Now that he was passing through Jericho, Zaccheus determined to see him. He may have thought that since the attention of the people would be on Jesus, no one would see him sitting among the branches. Zaccheus saw Jesus, but more important, Jesus saw Zaccheus. The Master urged him to come down quickly and then 'invited him to the tax collector's house.

There were critics. Jesus' enemies found fault with him. According to their thinking publicans were the lowest form of sinners. They found fault with Jesus because he went to the home of one who was employed by the Roman government.

A spiritual shake-up must have taken place in the soul of the man. Suddenly he had become the property of the Son of God. His life was changed. Money was no longer the most important item in his life. He declared that he would give one-half of his goods to the poor and to those he had defrauded he uld restore four-fold.

A happy company met at the tax collector's home. The most wonderful experience any one could have, took place in the heart and life of Zaccheus. Hear the words of the Saviour: "Salvation has come to this house today. This man too is a son of Abraham, and the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what is lost."

No more wonderful words were ever spoken. A man had been saved. Now the head of this household was a believer in Jesus Christ. Things would be different from now on. There would be a home in Jericho , where the members would serve the Lord. Henceforth He would be in charge.

Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost. He found a lost man in a tree and saved him. He found a lost woman at a well in Samaria. He told her of the water of life, of true worship. He revealed Himself to her as the Messiah. He faced a woman about to be stoned because of adultery and told her to go and sin no more. He spoke to a penitent criminal on a cross and promised him Paradise.

The Son of Man and the Son of God is still seeking the lost. For this seeking he uses ordinary peoPle. People who have been found and saved. Saved people are those into whose lives Christ has come to cleanse and transform.

Has Jesus Christ found and saved you?