Unlikely FighterSample

The Height-Challenged Traitor

If, in Jesus’s day, the town of Jericho had a popularity contest, Zacchaeus (let’s call him “Z”) may very well have come in last.

Z was a tax collector, which meant he worked for the occupying Roman government, rendering him a traitor in the eyes of his fellow Jews. On top of that, the Romans allowed tax collectors to overcharge people and keep the extra for themselves, exploiting their own countrymen. Tax collectors got a lot of money—and a lot of hate.

The Scriptures don’t explicitly tell us Z’s motivation for wanting to see Jesus when He came through Jericho, about 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem. But most likely, the rejection from Z’s fellow Jews had left him lonely and spiritually hungry. 

He was desperate to get a glimpse of Jesus. But he was—as the old-time children’s song about him puts it—a “wee, little man,” and he couldn’t see over the crowd. So he climbed a tree for a better vantage point.

When Jesus was passing the tree where Z had perched, the Holy Spirit prompted Jesus to stop, look up, and urge Z to climb down. Then Jesus invited himself to Z’s house, so they could have some quality time together. The onlookers were shocked and appalled that Jesus would have anything to do with such a notorious scumbag!

But this simple encounter with Jesus radically transformed Z’s life. As Paul explains it in Romans 2:4, “God’s kindness leads us to repentance.” Jesus’s kindness to and forgiveness of this outcast prompted Z to immediately change his ways. He pledged to the poor half of all he owned and promised to repay four-fold any amount he had overcharged. 

In this brief but powerful interaction, we see the key to enacting social justice and eradicating poverty: introducing people to Jesus, even those who seem most unfit or unlikely to want to meet Him. When we truly encounter Jesus’s love and generosity, we can’t help but spill it onto others. And the more of us who are spilling, the more problems we’ll wipe out. Fight for social justice by sharing the Gospel with someone today!

Reflect:

In what practical ways can you look to Jesus to fill your loneliness or spiritual hunger?

How can you overflow today with the love and generosity Jesus has shown you?