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<\/p>\nWhat was it that made Zacchaeus, a wealthy and successful man, climb up a tree to get a peek at Jesus?<\/p>\n
The fact that he was not tall enough to see the famous teacher over the heads of the crowded people of Jericho does not explain the unusual, undignified behavior. Children would do such things, not adults, especially those who, on account of their wealth and power, were used to giving commands \u2013 and be obeyed. A tax collector was someone both feared and hated, as he was allowed to top the legal tax payments according to his good or bad will. \u201cTax harvesting\u201d bled Roman provinces white. For pious Jews a tax collector was not only a thief \u2013 worse, he was also a traitor of the Faith. He met pagan Romans at close quarters and handled pagan coins which bore portraits of the Emperor. That made him ritually unclean, someone who could defile you, too \u2013 by his very touch, by his physical closeness.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One can suppose that many people lining the street through Jesus was coming knew Zacchaeus and thought him completely unworthy to even look at the Rabbi. Who knows? Maybe they even intentionally blocked access to the street\u2026<\/p>\n
Zacchaeus, however, did not become the overseer of tax collectors because he was slow thinking, passive and lacked ingenuity. It is obvious that when he wanted something really badly, he stopped at nothing. He was a short man, true, but a man capable of great passion \u2013 first for money, and now for this amazing Rabbi from Galilee that so many people passing through Jericho were talking about.<\/p>\n
Zacchaeus, despite all his sins and dishonesty, had heart of a child and a true child does not treat itself very seriously.<\/p>\n
Can we imagine a Pharisee or a Temple priest climb a tree? Never. They were too important, too solemn and too serious.<\/p>\n
And yet, had Zacchaeus stayed on the ground, hidden among the crowd, had he considered how ridiculous he\u2019d look on that sycamore (should he climb it), he would not have met God.<\/p>\n
God, on His part, loved the tax collector when he was not yet born, then when he was born, then when he was an innocent child, and also later, when he was sinner. At the appointed time, Jesus – God stopped by the sycamore tree and said \u2013 \u201cZacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house..\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes said the rest.
\n\u201cYou love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made\u201d \u2013 least of all a sinner with child\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n
There are so many lessons we can learn from the tax collector of Jericho.
\nNever doubt the love and mercy of God \u2013 even if it seems long in coming.
\nNever fear ridicule when seeking God
\nRejoice in being small, unimportant and above all, LOST. \u201cThe Son of Man has come to seek
\nand to save what was lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
What was it that made Zacchaeus, a wealthy and successful man, climb up a tree to get a peek at Jesus? The fact that he was not tall enough to see the famous teacher over the heads of the crowded people of Jericho does not explain the unusual, undignified behavior. Children would do such things, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n