Zacchaeus

               Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)

 

Yesterday at church seemed to follow a theme. During our coffee time, the ladies and I discussed kids and Sunday school. Most of them had been Sunday School teachers. I never was, because kids are, to me, an alien life form, and have been, probably since I was twelve.

Then, in Sunday School, we continued a discussion started last week about homosexuality. One of the questions was about whether we (as individuals or as a church) would be a safe place for someone who same-sex attraction to be. At some point during the class, I made a note to myself, “My problem is that I am not good with people until I get to the point where I can see them as persons. I assume that I am unacceptable to others.” In other words, before I become a safe place for those with same-sex attraction, I have to get past the “Eek, it’s a People!”  I need to find a safe place. And, I know that said safe place should be in God.

That’s where the sermon comes in, because today’s passage was yesterday’s sermon text. I my eyes, I’m Zacchaeus, and while (I think) others distance themselves from me because they think I’m rich in some way, I see myself as not measuring up. If I want to be one of the crowd, so to speak, I have to climb a tree, and based on my weight, my age, and my physical condition, that isn’t happening.

One of the other thoughts that came to mind was a question I’ve heard from people in various groups: “Would you marry person who is a ____?” And if the answer is “No,” then I am declared to be a ____phobe. The reality is that I’m an anthrophobe or a social-phobe – not at a level when it makes it impossible for me to cope in life, but a little. I’m closer to those than I am to those who want to declare me to be some afraid of a type of person.  

I’m not looking for pity here – we all need to find safe places. We all fail to measure up in some way, in our own estimation if nothing else. Put yourself in this with whatever your details are. And I don’t mope along with this attitude 24/7. Sometimes, I go for hours, days, or even months without spiraling around this black hole. But now and again, usually when I have to deal with people or when I’m called on to evaluate myself, I spiral.

Most of us are probably Zacchaeus, and those who aren’t are probably worse - even frightening. Most of us have times when we need to do something drastic (imagine climbing a tree in a robe or a skirt! That idea is thanks to Pastor DiStefano) to see Jesus. And it’s likely that, as in the story above, people won’t approve of your choice of tactics. They may not approve of you. But Jesus dined with Zacchaeus.