We all know and love the story of Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore tree to see Jesus. It is often characterised as a children’s story, but there is so much more to it. We should challenge ourselves to be more like Zacchaeus in our Christian walk. This was an age when people held themselves with great dignity and respect, strictly observing Jewish law. The Jews were very mindful of ceremony and regulations, and carefully watched everyone else to do the same. This watchfulness ensured people considered how others perceived them, eventually leading to people standing on ceremony much of the time. Zacchaeus would have been the same – he was not only a tax collector, he was the chief of the tax collectors. He was a bishop of Caesarea. The Jews despised him, but he did hold positions of great importance and wealth.
For his many failings, Zacchaeus got one thing right. He let nothing stop his meeting with our Lord. The crowd wouldn’t let him through, so he abandoned his dignity and worldly standing, picked up his long eastern robes to run ahead of the crowd. He clambered up a tree with his robe hoisted up – something he probably hadn’t done in years. He didn’t care what his colleagues at the tax office would think of him, he needed an encounter with God. When he repented, he embraced his Christian walk with immediate enthusiasm. His fruits were apparent through restitution and charitable endeavours. I would love to hear more of his Christian life. I hope to meet him in Heaven one day and hear more of his impetuosity for Christ. Now I must consider my own life and embrace my Christianity with the same excitement.
Cheryl Kelly, OMS PayRoll Officer
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