He came down at once
and welcomed him gladly.
—Luke 19:6
Zacchaeus was perched on a branch in a sycamore tree, hoping to get a look at Jesus, the man everyone was talking about.
Jesus spotted him and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he shinnied down and welcomed him into his home.
The happy ending of the story has Jesus saying, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Lk 19:1-6, 9).
Suppose Zacchaeus had said, “It will be my honor to have you as my guest. But first, let me go home and prepare for your visit. Come tomorrow.”
Tomorrow Jesus would be in Jerusalem, facing the final week of his life.
Never again would he be in Jericho.
Sometimes it’s now or never.