“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, . . .

“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.  He climbed up in a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.”  If you are like me, you probably sang that song in Sunday School more times than you care to remember.  But it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that Zacchaeus’ physical stature wasn’t the only thing about him that was small.  Given the fact that he was a tax collector, who collaborated with the Romans and made his living cheating folks, Zacchaeus would have been considered, by the Jewish people, to be a “wee little man” even if he had stood six-foot-seven!

Then came the day that Jesus happened to be passing through Jericho.  Word had it that this man could perform miracles—some even claimed that he was the Messiah—and thus, the crowds lined the streets, eager to see him, touch him, and cheer him on.  Among the more curious was Zacchaeus, who put aside the dignity of his public office and shimmied up a tree like a school kid.

He did this, of course, because he wanted to catch a glimpse of Jesus.  But it also allowed Jesus to take a nice, long look at him.  “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”  The crowd was obviously shocked and murmured its disapproval.  However, I think it’s safe to say that no one was more surprised than Zacchaeus himself.  “He knows my name!  He is calling for me!”

Zacchaeus hurried down to greet his guest—a changed man by the time his feet hit the ground.  He promptly promised to give fifty percent of his possessions to the poor, and compensate fourfold anyone he had treated unfairly.  It was a tall order for such a “wee little man.”  But then again, sometimes God’s grace and mercy has an amazing way of giving us a growth spurt!

So what are we to make of this strange story that only the Gospel of Luke reports?  Well, one interpretation is that it exemplifies the very reason that Jesus came in the first place—namely, to seek out and save the lost!  However, I think there may be another way to read this story.  Perhaps it is meant to be a cautionary tale for any of us who might prefer to remain at a distance, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesus, but not really wanting to get personally involved.

Let’s face it, being a spectator is a whole lot easier than being a participant.  You just secure a safe spot and admire Jesus from afar.  But remaining on the sidelines—or even up in the treetops—may not be what Jesus has in mind.  The reason he keeps calling out to us is because he is not looking for admirers; he wants followers!