Sunday Readings: Wisdom 11.22-12.2; 2 Thessalonians 1.11-2.2; Luke 19.1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through the city. There was a man there named Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector and a wealthy man. He was trying to see who Jesus was but he could not see on account of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down. I must stay at your house today.” – Luke 19.1-5
Zacchaeus is so curious about Jesus that he climbs a tree to get a look. His curiosity leads in the end to faith in Jesus and willingness to repay fourfold all those he has defrauded in his tax collecting for the Romans. By climbing the tree, Zacchaeus opens himself to meeting Jesus, who invites himself as a guest into Zacchaeus’s life, reversing roles with the chief tax collector, who as the homeowner ought to invite the itinerant preacher to his house. In befriending an outsider and a sinner, Jesus draws this less than upright tax collector into the mystery of God’s unconditional love. This is Jesus’ mission—to seek out and save the lost; to reach out and enter our lives.
When have you felt lost? Who found you? Who has brought you into a community of acceptance and love?
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