Hide and Seek With Jesus

Posted on by Chris G Thelen

Typically in a game of hide and seek, the goal is to hide so as not to be discovered by the seeker. But in the case of Zacheus in Luke 19:1-9, he chose to put himself in a place that made him visible to Jesus. Scripture tells us Zacheus wanted a better look at Jesus. He didn’t settle for trying to get a peek at him through the crowd. Zacheus is determined to get a full look at the man he had heard about.

I wonder what was going on in Zacheus’ life to cause him to climb a tree like a child to get a better look at Jesus. Perhaps there was a hunger in his heart to see if what he had heard was really true. Maybe he was growing tired of his lifestyle and sought something better. Whatever his motivation, it appears that he did not anticipate that Jesus would see and seek him. He sought Jesus and then Jesus sought him.

Imagine how Zacheus felt when Jesus stopped below him and looked up at him. I picture his heart beating faster as he stared into the eyes of Jesus. When Jesus asked Zacheus to take him to his house, he responded immediately and took Jesus to his home.

Sometimes we may feel like playing hide and seek with Jesus. Our struggles and our sin might make us feel like hiding from him. But Jesus seeks us no matter how much we try to hide from him. Like Zacheus, we should place ourselves in full view of Christ. When he asks to come into our home, we should welcome him. Like Zacheus, we should repent of our sins, offering restitution to those we have harmed; demonstrating our new found life in Jesus to others.

© 2019 CGThelen

14 thoughts on “Hide and Seek With Jesus”

  1. Wow… when I read these words, “he stared into the eyes of Jesus”. 😭 (Do emojis come through here? If not, that was the crying face emoji.) I literally had to stop reading when I read those words.

    I can’t fathom what I’d feel looking into Jesus’ eyes. The thought overwhelms me. Eye to eye with the God who was willing to come to Earth and take on flesh to live like I have to live so He could experience life as I do and then die the most humiliating and torturous death known to man… I know one day I will bow before Him but I have never in 25 years of walking with God considered looking at Him eye to eye. You just …. I am mind blown. I don’t know why this thought has never crossed my mind.

    Eye to eye with the King? ❤️💜

    1. I love your expressive way of describing your feelings about looking into the eyes of Jesus — into the eyes of God. I have often wondered what that would’ve been like to see, hear, even touch Jesus. It makes me yearn for the day when I will see him face to face. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt thoughts. Blessings.

      1. This is such an example of the way we each have our strengths. I love reading your writing because you have a unique and beautiful way of looking at scripture.

    2. I remember being at an evening worship service. I don’t remember the song, but i do know it had to do with feeling God’s love for us. I remember lowering my head because I felt so unworthy. A moment later, I felt a genuine pressure under my chin that truly raised my head. I was a little unsettled with it because I’d never experienced God this way. But there was no denying the feeling it gave me to have God say, “Oh, no you don’t. You’re mine and you are loved. Never drop your head in shame in my presence.”

  5. If we would be honest with ourselves, we would already know that hiding is useless…he already knows and he always had a hand lifted toward us in love.

Comments are closed.