An intentional coincidence. The phrase seems to be a contradiction of terms. Either events just happen, or there is some intentionality or planning. So I was intrigued recently when I noticed this phrase in Luke 19 where Jesus had an encounter with a man named Zacchaeus.

We’re told that Jesus was “passing through Jericho.” It sounds like Jericho was not his destination, but simply a place that happened to be on his route.

But there was a man in that town who “was trying to see who Jesus was” (Luke 19:3). Let me pause here to remind you that there are still such people in the world today — people who are trying to see who Jesus is, and whose only hope is to encounter one of His followers who looks like Him.

So when Jesus, who was just passing through, “came to the place [where Zacchaeus was perched in a tree], He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house’” (Luke 19:5). That sounds to me like a lot more than a chance encounter. What on the surface looked like a random passage through town became a very intentional encounter between the Creator of the universe and a despised little rich guy.

What is your perspective when you step out of the front door of your house? Are you aware that God might put someone along your path who wants to see  Jesus? Do you see your day as a purposeful journey orchestrated by Almighty God or as a wearisome chain of random events? Do you build enough margin into your life to stop, look up, recognize a divine appointment and engage with the one who is trying to see Jesus?