Offer Hospitality Instead of Hostility

The back story of this narrative is that tax collectors were some of the most hated people in the Jewish community. They were fellow Jews who were “sold out” to the Romans.

They not only collected the burdensome taxes laid on by the Romans, but they lined their own pockets with excess charges. Zacchaeus was a “chief” tax collector.

This would mean he was the worst of the worst! Something was obviously going on in his heart. He heard about Jesus and as a short man, climbed up into a tree to see him.

The Spirit of God had revealed to Jesus that this man was “ripe” for the kingdom of God. To stay in Zacchaeus’ house was a very radical move on the part of Jesus.

He would be breaking the social mores of his culture in order to have fellowship with this “sinner”. We observe from Zacchaeus’ response, that his heart was open to following Jesus.

This narrative is a lesson to me to offer hospitality (space) when it would be easy to offer hostility. We just don’t know what God is doing in the hearts of people.

Jesus was willing to give this man space because God was working in his heart. Like Jesus, I need to be looking; with the Spirit’s help, for those who are seeking God.

I need to resist my own judgments and prejudices and be welcoming to what the Spirit is doing. If we were honest with ourselves we would all admit that at times we “write off” certain people.

We intentionally stay away from them. We may even look at them with scorn and derision. The Holy Spirit can give us eyes and ears to see and hear beyond our own human limitations.

Let us be a people of the Way that looks for the Zacchaeus that may come into our lives. Let us trade our hostilities with hospitality.

Pastor Fred