A Man of Stature

All of our nursery school Bible teachers who taught us that Zacchaeus was a "wee little man" probably did us a great disservice! Let's look at what Luke actually says about him:

"Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchae'us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchae'us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

First, notice the two attributes of Zacchaeus. He was the "chief" tax collector. This was a man who was in charge. How did he get that kind of authority? I suspect because he collaberated with the Romans, which is why tax collectors were especially hated. No one likes paying taxes. But, paying them to a foreign government that was sucking the lifeblood out of the economy and shipping it back to Rome really upset the local Jewish population. Secondly, Zacchaeus was "rich". He was politically connnected and wealthy. Those two things will give anyone swack in today's society. Yet, I suspect that Zacchaeus found himself profoundly lonely. People with wealth sometimes have great difficulty cultivating relationships with others. They are always wondering, "Do they just like me for my wealth?" Zaccheaus was also ostrasized by his own people for his collaberation with the enemy. He was a "sinner" in they eyes of his own people and stood outside the covenant. No doubt Zaccheaus had once been bar mitzvahed, having grown up within his community. However, Jews who wanted to get ahead often became "Hellenized"; in that they adopted the local Greek culture and language to "blend in" among the commercial world of trade of their day. Greek was the universal language of commerce. Jews who attended the educational schools of their day to learn the history and culture of the Greco-Roman world would be cut off from their former orthodox Jewish community of believers. Even today, the so called "reform" movement of Judaism embraces the current local culture and rejects things such as "kosher" as being antiquated customs of past times. Orthodox Jews don't consider reform Jews to be really Jews. Zacchaeus would have been branded at best a "liberal" of his day. But, in spite of the power and wealth, there was a void inside of Zacchaeus that tugged at his heart. Something about the teaching of this new rabbi, Jesus, caused Zachaeus to be consumed with a desire to hear what Jesus had to say. Contrast that to so many these days who could care less what God has to say! The picture of Zacchaeus "running" ahead so he could see Jesus is illuminating. Generally, powerful rich people do not "run" anywhere. For a man dressed in middle eastern garb to run, he had to lift up the hem of his garment so he would not trip. In Semetic cultures, this is considered "uncouth". It was a social disgrace; but, Zaccheaus did not care. In much the same way, powerful rich people do NOT climb trees! But, Zacchaeus was driven to do whatever he had to do so that he could see Jesus. I suspect that when Jesus stopped and spoke to him, Zacchaeus probably just about fell out of the tree. "What! The rabbi wants to come to my house?" In fact, Jesus wants to come to everybody's house. And, the result is that salvation came to Zacchaeus's home that day through an encounter with Jesus.

I find it fascinating that Jesus affirms that Zacchaeus is "a son of Abraham". Jesus restored his relationship to his Jewish heritage that had been taken away from him by his own community. God is not a respector of what people think of you. God looks upon the heart and calls each of us to him. It is does not matter how broken, messed up, or sinful a person's life is when they are called by God. What matters is the response. God wants to have relationship with his family. He wants to come to your house and dine with you because he cares about you. When a sinner accepts the invitation of God's grace, there is a "change" in that person's life. The change in Zacchaeus was immediate and apparent. He gave 1/2 of what he had to the poor! Talk about some major life change. He also agreed to make restitution to anyone whom he had defrauded by a measure of fourfold. I have no doubt that Zaccheaus celebrated the best day of his life on that day. And, I would be willing to bet that he slept well that night for the first time in years. Salvation brings love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. Zacchaeus was not a wee little man; but, instead he is a man of great stature within the Kingdom of God.