Luke 19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ² A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵ When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.

I’m fascinated with the humility we see in Zacchaeus. He was a prominent man in his community, even if we was reviled by many as “chief tax collector”. It says something about his desire to see Jesus when he was willing to look foolish in public – climb a tree dressed in fine clothes, likely alongside children doing the same. Not a dignified look, for sure. And I can imagine Jesus seeing Zacchaeus out of the corner of his eye. What a sight! But rather than judge Zacchaeus or ignore him, Jesus drew near to him.

“So (Zacchaeus) hurried down and was happy to welcome (Jesus).”

I want to be like Zacchaeus. I want to cast aside my dignity and do whatever I need to be closer to Jesus. Somehow I think, when the Lord see us in this way, his heart smiles and he leans in closer to us. Lord, let it be so. Amen.