Above is a photo of a Sycamore Tree in Jericho, Israel.
Gospel LK 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over.”And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
REFLECTION
This account by St. Luke is a favorite children's Gospel story. Why? Children can relate to Zacchaeus because he is short. He is so short that he climbs a tree to see Jesus walking through the crowd.
Did you realize that there are psychological and physiological studies about how a short height affects people? As a group, National Geographic, explains that people who are short in a crowd of taller people feel vulnerable. Society values tall people with leadership and strength.
Other studies give the advantages of being short. The children playing during their recess time give you an insight concerning tall vs. short. There are always races going on during recess. Most often I've observed that the short kids are faster and run harder to win the race. Sometimes the tall kids don't even see the short kids coming up behind them until they pass them up. Short kids are more determined to prove that they can achieve goals using other skills. They think of creative ways to solve problems to win the approval of their peers.
Why did Luke tell the account about Zacchaeus, the short tax collector? Zacchaeus has two disadvantages in his society. He is short and people look down on him. Secondly, he is a tax collector. He is good at collecting money for the Romans and himself. The Israelites think of him as a traitor.
Jesus changes Zacchaeus' self-image. Jesus looks up at him and calls him down from the tree. He asks Zacchaeus to bring Him to his house. Zacchaeus overwhelmed by Jesus' request says he will give half of his belongings to the poor and pay back any money he extorted four times more. He publicly confesses and promises to repent.
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
Jesus calls all sinners to acknowledge their sinfulness and repent. He wants to enter into your heart, your home.
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