Over Easter, my son Paul, and more recently my wife Kim, shared about Zaccheus with the Youth Ministry. I have rehashed material from their presentations.
Zaccheus was Chief Tax Collector, someone who enriched himself from the peoples’ pockets.
When Zaccheus heard that Jesus was visiting his area, he was so curious (and short) that he climbed a tree to catch a glimpse from amongst the crowd. We know his encounter with Jesus changed him.
As a young boy, I thought of this as a comical story: a “very little man” (for those who remember the song) climbed a tree because he was so kay-po.
Instead, it is more useful to ask: Why would Zaccheus, Chief Tax Collector (status) who (being rich) wanted nothing, (further) lower himself (pun intended) to climb a tree like a monkey (uncivilised), just for a glimpse of Jesus?
Perhaps these were his thoughts: “Who is this Jesus that everyone is talking about? This Jesus who can perform miracles? And heal? Why is everyone following him around and listening to him talk? Maybe this Jesus has something for me. Maybe he can show me why nobody likes me. Maybe he can help me understand why I feel something is missing in my life.”
It is not far-fetched to imagine that non-believers in our midst are looking for answers, just like Zaccheus. Let us continue to labour.
“…The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few…” (Matthew 9:37).
Elder Jeremy Leong
