Sitting Next to Zacchaeus

The strategy of Jesus was clear—go out among them, touch their lives, and love them into the Kingdom. This, of course, does not address his death as a sacrifice for our sin and his Resurrection, which seals the deal for us. But we can take that up at another time.

He not only used this approach himself, he taught others to use it. In the Gospel of Luke, we see him first send out the twelve and then seventy-two disciples to be “advance men” of sorts. They were to go to the places Jesus was planning to go, live among the people, befriend and love them, and let them know the Kingdom was near. (See Luke 9 and Luke 10) Presumably, these mission trips were to prepare the way for Jesus to enter the hearts of the previously unschooled.

“It causes me to wonder…”

I don’t want to append things to Scripture, but I’m guessing these were not the only two times Jesus sent people ahead of his entourage. Even if they were, I take these as examples of our own mission here on the earth. Just as John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way, we too have such a calling.

It causes me to wonder if a guy like Zacchaeus (Luke 19) was enticed to get a glimpse of Jesus by such an advance man. If you will recall, Zacchaeus climbed a tree to view Jesus as he walked by. Why bother? Apparently, someone told him about the Messiah who was bringing about a new kingdom, and his curiosity was aroused.

An important part of this occurrence is Jesus’ reaction to Zacchaeus’ tree scaling exploits. When the Master reached the site of the tree, he looked up and engaged the little guy in conversation. He, essentially, invited himself over to Zacchaeus’ home. It sounds a bit forward to us, but in that culture it wasn’t quite as big of a deal as it would be in twenty-first century America. Still, it was a momentous event in the life of this reviled tax collector.

I suspect there are myriads of Zacchaeuses around us. They are people on the periphery of our lives. Some are just trying to get a glimpse of Jesus. Others haven’t even heard of him yet. We, as individuals, just might be the ones sent to tell them the Kingdom is near.

Who will climb the tree?

Because he was a tax collector, it’s likely that very few people associated with Zacchaeus. Jesus did, though. He called him down and went to his house (an unclean place according to the religious authorities of the day). Jesus cared more about the person than the person’s sin.

I’m convinced that we need to be ones who will climb the tree and sit beside a Zacchaeus in our lives. We need to invest a little time in people who want to (or need to) know. Sitting on a branch next to Zacchaeus might seem like a waste of time to some. For us, it’s a calling.

[Dave Zuchelli is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and is currently the pastor of Smith Chapel, in Great Falls, VA.]

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