At professional development courses, I often feel like a stranger and unnoticed. So I am all the more surprised and delighted when someone I know suddenly greets me by name.

Today, read the related Bible text first: Luke 19:1-6

This must also have been the case for the tax collector Zacchaeus. In order to see Jesus, he sat on a mulberry tree because of the large crowd. But the fact that Jesus addressed him directly by name surprised him. Full of joy, he climbed down from the tree when Jesus said:

“Zacchaeus, come down quickly! I am to be your guest today!”

Luke 19, 5

Jesus also knows us by name. But it’s not just our names that he knows. He knows us personally and knows our life story – no matter what it may look like. The psalmist David emphasizes this in one of his psalms. He writes that God knew us even before we were born. 

What does it mean for you that Jesus knows your name?