Consider for a moment the Biblical character, Zacchaeus. When Jesus saw him, he called him down out of the tree and invited himself to the home of this despised man. Imagine for just a moment what must have gone through the mind of Zacchaeus. Not only was he able to see Jesus, he was also able to host this famous teacher in his home. Imagine the joy he must have felt. Not everyone was happy about this turn of events, however. Luke writes that when the crowd saw this, they all grumbled (Luke 19:7). No one seemed to think that Jesus being the guest of a sinner was a good idea. The crowd seemed upset that Jesus would spend time with the wrong sort of people. Jesus didn’t seem to mind the criticism of the crowd. Zacchaeus, however, seemed to realize exactly what was so special about this teacher. He knew the change that he needed to make and repented, which included restitution to those he had wronged.
There is great comfort in this narrative. Reading it reminds us that there is no one beyond hope, no one beyond redemption. We may have really made a mess of things in our lives. Our life choices and the attitudes that we hold may have moved us away from Jesus and from his people, yet redemption and forgiveness is available. Each of us has been in the shoes of Zacchaeus. Our desires, the focus of our life, may have become disordered. The good news of Jesus is that change can happen. If we have gotten things out of order, we can change. Jesus sees us and still wants us to be with him, to be called His people and change is possible.
There is also a great challenge in this narrative. It reminds us that God’s grace, the invitation of Jesus is open for everyone. That includes people that we may not like. The crowd that day was upset that Jesus would spend time with someone they viewed as a traitor and an enemy. He wasn’t like them. He didn’t share their values. He had hurt them and cheated them, yet Jesus welcomed him. This narrative reminds us of the mission of Jesus, the mission into which each of us is called. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) The lost often includes people who don’t share our values. That group often includes people who are more concerned with looking out for themselves than for the people around them. It includes those whose lives are disordered and even sinful. We are called to welcome them, to introduce them to Jesus, and to receive them into the family of God’s people, remembering that each of us are only included in the people of God because of his great grace and love.