Three years ago our huge double trunk Red Oak had to be removed from our backyard next to the pool. It was good news/bad news. It provided great shade for the backyard, but it was a mess for the pool. We wanted something to be planted there and our tree surgeon said he had a Mexican Sycamore at a good price. He planted it, and now three years later it is over double the size and is providing increased shade and beauty. One of the unique things about it are the large size of the leaves.
The past several storms in our area have tested the resilience of this tree. We have actually seen it bent almost double in the strong winds. A few leaves were lost, but no limbs nor was the trunk damaged. Yesterday, while our trees were being trimmed our tree surgeon shared this story. When the tornado came through about seven years ago through North Dallas between Walnut Hill and Royal Lanes, he was asked to do some cleanup work in a residential area. He said trees were everywhere, down and destroyed. But the Sycamore trees were all still standing. He was amazed.
The Sycamore Tree in Israel, as shown in the Bible, is among other things, representative of comfort, refuge, and abundance. It serves as a setting for significant encounters between God and humans, symbolizing divine presence and intervention. The tree symbolizes protection, spiritual growth, and healing.
As I was admiring it this week, I was reminded of the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible, where he climbed up in a Sycamore Tree to see Jesus as he was passing by. A man of small stature, he could not see over the crowd. But his eagerness to meet Jesus led him to climb the tree. The story teaches us lessons about repentance, humility, and the transformative power of encountering Jesus. It is amazing that Jesus stopped the procession, looked up at Zacchaeus and asked him to come down so that he could have a meal with him at his home.
This was very troubling to the crowd as he was a chief tax collector, the lowest of low in society. While in his home, Zacchaeus told the Lord that half of his goods he would give to the poor, and if he had defrauded anyone of anything, he would restore it fourfold. This is what happens when salvation enters a repentant heart and soul. Jesus could see the immediate transformation, and assured him of the following. “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk. 19. 9,10).
I suggest that Zacchaeus was not saved because he was in the bloodline of Abraham, but he, like Abraham, through faith, trusted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I would ask you…do you have the overwhelming eagerness to know Jesus personally and deeply? Zacchaeus would tell you…whatever it takes to meet the Lord and Savior, Jesus, do it! Even if it means climbing up a ‘proverbial’ Sycamore Tree to get a better view. Be assured, Jesus will see you and meet you there. Right, Zacchaeus?