Zaccheus was at the top of a tree when Jesus spotted him. “Zaccheus,” Jesus said, “get down out of there in a hurry. I’m spending tonight with YOU” (Luke 19:5) whereupon all Jericho snickered up their sleeves to think Jesus didn’t have better sense than to invite himself to the house of a man that nobody else would touch with a ten-foot pole. But Jesus knew what he was doing.”
( paraphrased from Peculiar treasures by Frederick Buechner)
Each of us is a treasure. Not entirely because of who we are (that is important too) but because of what we can become when we say “Yes” to the invitation Jesus offers. “Come down out of that tree and let’s have supper at your place!” Jesus knew something about Zaccheus that Zaccheus did not even know about himself…yet. Where we put ourselves in relation to others affects our view. If we are in the midst of a group we can see faces, smell bodies, feel emotions. If we stand at a distance we can sometimes make out details but often just outlines. When we move in and out, go in close and then retreat to a far place we might gain insight that had previously escaped us. The NT Scriptures tell us that Jesus did this a lot.
Take time to change your perspective today. Climb a tree? That might feel extreme. Maybe simply go to a new coffeehouse in another part of town. Look around. Who pulls at your heart. That may just be the beginning point for you to reach in love.
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