Zaccheus was a wee little man

The biggest and best parties are thrown in Heaven. And they are usually in honor of someone who has previously held a terrible reputation.

Isn't it grand what a little honesty mixed with a lot of grace can do? Seriously - isn't that what salvation is all about? Us finally being honest with ourselves and who we really are, and God delighting in the reveal. Love covers a multitude of confessed sins.

I love that God loves the humble. Jesus was intentional about mirroring the heart of the Father. He continually loved those who would be condemned in our day. Take Zaccheus for example. He was a tax collector. It was well known that tax collectors often collected more than they were supposed to - the amount due to the Romans, and some off the top to pad their own pockets.

No wonder he couldn't make it through the crowd to see Jesus. The crowd probably had no problem pushing him to the side. Instead, he climbed a tree so he could at least see what Jesus looked like. As soon as Jesus saw him perched in the tree, he called out: "Zaccheus! Come down from there! Today I'm going to eat at your house!"

Can you imagine how excited Zaccheus must have felt? Jesus was enjoying celebrity status at that time, with people following him around to see the latest miracle... I kinda wondered if Jesus' announcement made Zaccheus feel smug - maybe NOW those people will stop teasing me about me being so short. If I hadn't been in that tree, he might not have seen me!

The thing I love about the story, the part that really stands out to me- is the way Jesus related to Zaccheus. You don't see him walking into Zaccheus' house and proclaiming "Nice place. This is good food here. Do you realize how many people are having to scrape to get by because of your greed? You are selfish, Zaccheus. A loser. blah blah blah... "

I could go on. You get the point. The thing is, Jesus didn't say any of those things. He just loved Zaccheus. And His kindness led that wealthy tax collector to repentance. Being around a good God made Zaccheus know how bad he was - and it made him want to change.

I want to be like that.

Story taken from Luke 19:1-10