Up a tree?

Luke 19:5 – “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”

As children in Sunday school, some of us sang: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a sycamore tree, the Master for to see…” It’s a story beloved by countless generations of children, and adult disciples as well. There are several things about the story that prompt us to think about reaching out to those who may not be church insiders. The diminutive tax collector, for instance, was on the outs with his community and his religion. He was -- in more ways than one -- up a tree! There’s no telling how many folks passed by without noticing him at all. But there was One who saw him. Jesus had a capacity for seeing what others missed.

We might be surprised, too, that the Master knew his name! Jesus was just passing through the town, yet he called the name of the man in the tree. And instead of inviting Zee to follow him – as he had done with Levi, another tax collector – Christ invited himself over to the despised man’s home! We get the idea that Jesus was “at home” with those who were on the margins of society, the sinful, the outcast, the weak. What about us?