Last week we heard a parable Jesus told about a fictitious tax collector, a stereotype. This week we meet the real thing. “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.”
As I’ve said before, tax collectors were considered the lowest form of life by their fellow Jews, hated collaborators in the oppressive Roman tax system. In order to enforce collection of taxes – and extract enough over the required amount to make a living themselves – a tax collector had to be powerful and mean. Think Mafia “protection” goons, and we start to get the picture. And here’s Zacchaeus – a chief tax collector in the big town of Jericho! And wealthy. He must be very, very good at his despicable job.
Then we learn something sort of endearing – that this wealthy, powerful, notorious man is so short, and so anxious to see Jesus as he passes through town, he climbs up a tree to get a glimpse. How sweet. It doesn’t help that generations of children have learned his story through a Sunday School ditty, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he/He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.” Hard to think of a “wee little man” as scary and villainous.
So which is he? All of the above, and more? We will explore the nuances of this story this week, for it does not lend itself to either/or thinking. Today, let’s focus on the tree-climbing. I don’t know too many adults who climb trees for any reason (though my sister did so on in her wedding day… and didn’t ruin the dress!). How badly did this guy want to see Jesus that he would run up a tree? What did he want from Jesus? Is his ascent an indication of repentance, or curiosity – or did he want to observe without having to engage Jesus?
What or who might you climb a tree to see?
If you heard that person were passing through your town – would you try to get close?
If you had a chance to get close to Jesus in a crowd, what would you say?
Would you ask for healing? Explanations? Forgiveness?
Today, in prayer, try to imagine the scene, with Jesus coming through your area, and place yourself in the crowd. What unfolds in your imagination? Stay with it...
This is one way to pray, to imagine an encounter with Jesus in some of the places the Gospels tell us he was. Imagine it, and then see if you interact with Jesus or one of the other characters. It’s still prayer, yet less like sending thoughts into the ether and more like talking to a person. Which we are.
Like Zacchaeus, sometimes we need to change our perspective to see Jesus more clearly. I hope you will join me up a tree this week, and see what we can see.
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