“Hey, honey! Guess who’s coming to dinner?” How is Zacchaeus going to explain THIS to his wife? No need really. Check it out.
Everybody likes to be liked. It’s part of human nature. Conversely, nobody likes to be despised. It hurts our sense of self-worth. But sometimes, either because of the choices we make or the choices of others, we might find ourselves the object of people’s ire. (Often this will happen in traffic!)
It’s hard to imagine how much the people despised a guy like Zacchaeus. He was a Jew, but he was also a tax collector for the Roman occupational government. As such, he was seen as a collaborator. Unlike our own Internal Revenue Service, which is highly regulated and can only take what the government is legally entitled to, one of the common practices of the day among tax collectors was to charge more than the actual tax and pocket the rest. By his own admission, Zacchaeus appears to have done exactly that. People hated his guts.
Given all this, at first glance he’s not the kind of person that you would normally expect to seek out Jesus. Yet, there he is, climbing the sycamore tree to get a glimpse. That’s when things get interesting.
I truly believe that the last thing on Zacchaeus’ mind was that Jesus would invite himself to dinner. But that’s how Jesus works, sort of like a traveling salesman.
[Incidentally, you know what you do when the health food salesman knocks at your door? Go ahead and ‘vite – him – in!]
Like the door-to-door salesman, Jesus invites himself into our world and into our lives without apology. He does this all the time. It’s what happens next that makes the difference between a detached observer, a consumer of religious goods and services, or a disciple.
Zacchaeus did not ask Jesus to barge into his life; but when he does, Zacchaeus recognizes Jesus for who he is and the opportunity for what it is. Here is salvation from his miserable existence. Here is Hope Incarnate standing right below him. The repentance of Zacchaeus is profound and genuine because the forgiveness and reconciliation offered him is profound and genuine. The lesson of Zacchaeus is a lesson for us. No matter how wretched or despised we may think we are, Jesus barges into our lives. Today, salvation will come to this house. It’s how we respond that will make the difference.
Just what I needed to hear today. Thank you.