Seeing Past the Presumptions

Zacchaeus is the only grown man in the New Testament who is described as little in stature. Otherwise, that particular Greek word is used for children. What was it that stunted his growth? Disease?  Genetics? Malnutrition? Whatever it was, he was the size of a child. 

At first glance, this looks like another of Luke’s “scoundrel conversion” stories. We expect that a chief tax collector is a cheat and a liar. The crowd assumes so, too. Zacchaeus is the rascal who needs conversion. 

But that presumption may not be accurate. Look carefully. Jesus never asks Zacchaeus to repent. The little man does not beg for mercy. It is the crowd who calls him “a sinner.” Zacchaeus’s response  to their judgment is not in the future tense of “I will repay.” What  he actually says is, “I do repay.” This is his continual and customary action. If he finds someone who has been defrauded, he pays them back four times. 

As the chief tax collector, could he quietly be rendering justice to the poor when his underlings cheat them? Might Jesus know something about this little man that the crowd does not? 

Interestingly, in this cycle of Lectionary readings, we just skipped  Luke’s passage about Jesus and the children. The disciples rebuke the people and tell them not to bother Jesus. The Son of Man says,  “Let the children come to me.” Jesus likes little people. He loathes nothing that God has made. 

This is not a scoundrel story. Jesus doesn’t see a big splotch of sin high above the people. He sees rather a smudge on a face that has been crying. Up in a tree. 

The crowd sees a little man who (they believe) is a great sinner.  Jesus sees a great man who is a little (bit of a) sinner. Who is being called to conversion here?

Consider/Discuss 

• We live in a culture that passes judgement by group identity: those “others”  are bad people. But sometimes we are wrong. Sometimes we exclude or demean or disrespect others because of assumptions that we have made.  What can you and I do to get past that? Whom could we listen to anew,  and in charity hear who they really are and what they have to say? 
• Zacchaeus is pretty bold in wanting to see Jesus. A grown man running?  Climbing a tree? Enduring the ridicule of the crowd? That was pretty out of-the-box for a chief tax collector! What could we do this week to be  more bold about looking for Jesus? 

Living and Praying with the Word 

Lord, forgive me for the little things that I do. I may excuse  myself or laugh them off or pretend that they aren’t important, and  be pleased that I am not one of those big sinners like a chief tax  collector. But even if I am hiding among a righteous-looking crowd,  you see me. You know. In little ways, you nudge me to clean up the  smudges in my life. Which of my habits and behaviors do you want  me to be converted from? In your mercy, show me. You are so good  and gracious. You raise up all those who are small. Please, Jesus,  clean up my life, for I want you to come home with me, too.