<TITLE>10. Par 127-138</TITLE>L-127 Them is crude names, but I just do that to make my drama. "And we have to turn the corner here, off of Straight Street, to Hallelujah Avenue." You just keep that street long enough, and you'll get on Hallelujah Avenue. You'll stay straight.

L-128   So he goes down, quickly. He said, "I'm little in stature." Groomed his little self: pulled his beard down; seen he was perfumed just right; his nails all polished. Stood on the corner, said, "I'll see Him when he passes by, and I'll tell Him what I think of Him when He passes by." So he stands on the corner.

L-129 And he got to thinking, "You know what? That same group will follow Him. They'll be right here, and they'll just... I'm so little, I'll never be able to see Him, so I won't do much good standing here. I won't be no better off here than I was down there. And, you know, believe what--what I'll do? Here is a sycamore tree standing here, so I believe I'll just get up in this sycamore tree. And then I'll be able to see Him, and get a good look at Him when he passes by. So He will never see me up there in that tree. And there's a limb that runs out there; and I'll just set right on that limb and watch Him when He comes in view, and when He goes out of view. I'll get a good look at this Fellow."

L-130   And so, first thing you know, he begin to try to see how high the first limb was, and it was a little out of his reach.

L-131 You know, really, the first step is just a little out of our reach. We have to accept it by faith. Yeah. It's just a little more than the human mind can explain. You can't explain God. If you do, then He's no more accepted by faith. You have to believe Him. "He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and a Rewarder of those that diligently seek after Him."

L-132 So we find this notable little fellow, one of the businessmen of the city, he said, "Now, how will I get up?" And perhaps maybe the garbage disposal hadn't come by that morning, and there was some cans setting in the corner, full of--of the carrion in the city. So they... He said, "If I could get a hold of that can, I could reach up and get a hold of the limb."

L-133 Strange, how God gets men to do things ridiculous. So, but, you know, if you're determined you want to see Jesus, you'll do things ridiculous, if you're determined you want to; you're--you're really sincere, you want to really know what It's all about.

L-134   And that was Zacchaeus' opinion. He wanted to find out what all this was about, he had been hearing. So he says, "Now there is nobody around, so I'll slip over and get a hold of the garbage can and pull it out here, and get out here to the--the tree. And then I can get up on the first limb, and get up--up over the street when He passes by." But when he started to pull the can, it was too heavy for him to pull. He was kind of a short man, small in stature. The only thing to do, then, he'd have to pack it. Now, he had on his good clothes.

L-135 See how the Devil does? He just tries to put everything in your way. So he--he'll move everything, every doubt, every flaw that he can, to keep you from seeing what's Truth. He's just good at doing that.

L-136   "So I got on my best clothes," he might have said. "And here, I--I, if I take hold of that garbage can, I'll get dirty."

L-137 You know, there is some people thinks, to set in a meeting like this might get you a little dirty, kind of amongst the society and celebrity of the city. But if you're really determined to see Jesus, you'll come, anyhow. That's right. So, there's only one thing to do, if a man is determined to see Christ, there's nothing going to stop him.

L-138 So he reaches down and gets a hold of this garbage can, and here he come. Just about the time he got it hugged up in his arms, good, his competitors come around the corner, two or three of them. Said, "Well, look at Zacchaeus. He has changed his position. He works for the city now." I'd imagine his little face got awful red.


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