I like Zacchaeus. I always have. You see, I am a “Murdock” and we are rather short people. My dad’s sisters are/were under 5 feet tall. My Granddaddy Murdock was around 5 feet tall when he died. My dad was shorter than I am (and I am 5’3” on a good day) and one of my brothers swears that he is taller than I am (but, shhhh, he isn’t). So when I read that Zacchaeus, “a wee little man” (as we sang in Sunday School) , climbed a Sycamore tree to see this man named Jesus, the man that he had heard so much about, I will admit that I understand his tree-climbing ways.
As a child, I would often climb into a neighbor’s huge pine tree. There was a perfect branch … a very large hidden one that went straight out and then curved upward. A little girl could climb up through the lower branches, position herself just right, and lean on this branch. The tree is located at the end of the street so I could be hidden and watch people walk by or see cars slow down to a stop. I kept quiet but often wondered if or when someone would look up into this pine tree and see me. Would they pretend that they didn’t see me and keep walking? Would they demand that I come down? Would they want to join me or would they ask that I join them? What would be my response? Would I have climbed down from my tree or would I have simply said, “No thank you, I am fine where I sit"?
Yes, I like Zacchaeus, that tax-collecting, tree-climbing short man. When Jesus said, “Hurry and come down for I must stay in your house today”, Zacchaeus did just that. He scurried out of the tree, leaving all that he once was in its branches. Eventually, that would become my story as well. Zacchaeus is a welcomed friend to me.
Years and years ago, I asked someone to make a porcelain for me of the Zacchaeus scriptures. I gave him only the scripture reference (Luke 19:1-10) and free reign as to how he might interpret the story. When I received the finished piece, there was a note in the box telling me that he took the liberty of putting a little girl in the piece even though she wasn’t to be found in the scriptures. He went on to say that this little girl was me. I hope that I am that little girl he placed into porcelain. I would like to think that this once tree-climbing, short girl named "Murdock" is now one who has climbed down from her branch at Jesus’ invitation, has welcomed him “into my house” and stands to encourage others to do the same.
Perhaps we are all to be found in these scriptures.
