No Surprise To God

I have been pondering a very small yet notable detail in the biblical story of Zacchaeus. Before I reveal it, soak in the story itself.

“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Can you guess what about this story I have been pondering? I won’t keep you in suspense. It’s the sycamore-fig tree. That small detail, in my view, tells me something about God’s purposes and planning.

Zacchaeus was a man of small stature. He longed to see Jesus, and there just happened to be a tree available for this sinful chief tax collector to encounter Jesus and experience salvation. I may be going into the weeds here and playing with some degree of eisegesis (injecting subjective meaning into a text).  And so, take my commentary with a grain of salt and draw from it whatever encourages you and moves you toward Christlikeness.
 
The fact that the sycamore-fig tree was in the perfect place and at the perfect time for Zacchaeus to meet Jesus is, for me, a work of our sovereign God, who always goes before us, preparing a practical way to encounter him. A sycamore-fig tree normally takes 30-50 years to mature. How far in advance of this story unfolding in real time did the Lord ensure that tree was planted, watered, and matured to the proper height? 
 
Billy Graham once said that God is more interested in our future than we are. I believe he was right, as many biblical stories bear that out. The Apostle Paul, for example, writes that the gospel was announced in advance to Abraham (Galatians 3:8). As God was unfolding his blessing through Abraham to the world, he was already laying the groundwork for the incarnation, life, crucifixion, resurrection and glorification of Jesus. It was as if God were already planting a tree during Abraham’s time that would supply the lumber for the cross used to bear Jesus (1 Peter 2:24). Does he do something similar in our lives?
 
The Lord knows all things – he is omniscient. God has walked from the beginning of time to its end. The purposes and plans he has for the world and for us are in motion and will prevail. This profound truth is beyond our understanding; God’s thoughts are so much higher and greater than ours (Isaiah 55:9). What unfolds for us today was known long ago. What will unfold for us tomorrow is also known and ordained by the Lord. In God’s economy, nothing surprises him or falls outside his divine management. God is sovereign – all-knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere.
 
The good news for those of us who love the Lord is that we can trust him with every aspect of our lives, because in Christ Jesus he demonstrated his deep love for us and his willingness to sacrifice himself for our salvation (1 John 4:10). God provided a tree for Zacchaeus as a means to encounter Jesus, be transformed, and experience salvation. My best sense is that he has planted such ‘trees’ in our lives so that we too might have such experiences.
 
As you navigate the ever-changing terrain of your life, and as you encounter troubles, sorrows, and bad news, remember the tree in Zacchaeus’s story. Our Heavenly Father is going before you, setting in place those things that will allow you to encounter his grace and help. 
 
“God is always previous. He is never late.
He goes before his people to prepare the way.”
A.W. Tozer