July 13

Zacchaeus

                He entered Jericho and was passing through it.  A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.  He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.  When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”  So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.  All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”  Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:1-10

           Zacchaeus was a wee little man; a wee little man was he.  He would hate that this is what we remember of him.  Zacchaeus is an interesting character study.  What kind of person chooses to be an agent of the enemy? 

            In the ancient world, taxes were not calculated by filling out IRS forms and mailing in your payment.  The Romans would hire tax collectors, sometimes known as “tax farmers,” by seeing who could make the highest bid.  The tax collectors could charge the people anything that they wanted, they just had to deliver the amount that they bid to the Roman authorities.  So the tax collectors got rich by working for the Romans and taking as much as they could from their own people.

            Zacchaeus was very rich.  He made his fortune by using the Roman Occupation to give himself an authority that he never had before.  Zacchaeus was short, probably noticeably so.  This was not just that he was a little below average.  This was the so-short-that-he-had-been-teased-and-bullied-for-all-of-his-life kind of short.  This was the God-must-hate-you-because-he-made-you-this-way kind of short.  This was the you-will-never-make-money-with-your-body-so-you-better-develop-your-mind kind of short.  He was not exiled as some physical conditions demanded.  He was probably not seen as cursed by God like those who were blind and crippled…but it was clear that he was not favored.  He was just different enough that his community felt ok about making fun of him and not valuing what he brought to the table.  And so when the opportunity arose to have some actual power and authority by becoming a tax collector, Zacchaeus jumped.  He was good at it too, as he became the chief tax collector.  And the power and the money never filled the ache that he carried around with him.  Only Jesus could do that.

            Some of our kids clearly have developmental issues.  They have crutches or wheelchairs or there are clear physical traits that let the outside world know that they fall into a non-typical category.  People may feel a little awkward or not know how to react, but they can see that our kids are different and often try to extend a little extra courtesy and help.  Many of our kids do not have those clear indicators…and the world has no idea what to do with them.  Have you heard of the people watching game, “Crazy, Autistic or on Their Cellphone,” where you watch strangers who are talking to no one in the park and try to figure out if they are off their meds or on a wireless headset call?  Our kids are just different enough that their typical peers feel ok about making fun of them and not valuing what they bring to the table.  Some of my worst experiences as a parent and as an employer have been hearing from teachers or employers how peers have harassed, manipulated and bullied my child or clients.

            Jesus did not do that with Zacchaeus and He does not do that with our kids.  Jesus seeks out the little man who is up in the tree…the little man who has probably been responsible for taking money from His family business as He was growing up.  Jesus seeks him out, says that he is worth seeing and worth investing in.  Zacchaeus is not a mistake; God was not angry or distracted when he was made.  They eat together.  They talk together.  They listen to each other.  Zacchaeus is seen and valued and known as a real person for the first time in forever.  He emerges from their time with a renewed appreciation of himself and his God and his people.  He pledges to right all of his wrongs and change how he approaches his business.

            This is what happens when we bring our children to Jesus.  He sees them.  He knows them.  He listens to them.  He brings transformation to their hearts.  Where bitterness and despair have crept in, Jesus brings hope and joy.  Where there is loneliness from the awful actions of their peers, Jesus brings connection and intimacy and the strongest sense of belonging they will ever find.

            The world is not fair.  It is not kind.  There will be times that our kids are targeted just because they are just different enough.  You will feel rage.  You will feel despair.  You will feel ready to be done with humanity.  At the end of those days, pray with your children.  Come to Jesus with all of the confusion and all of the hurt and all of the sadness and allow Him to speak comfort to you both. 

A moment to reflect:

Imagine the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus but put your child in Zacchaeus’ place.  What do they say to each other?