What if Zacchaeus Was Afraid of Heights?

“He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” Luke 19:1-10

“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.”
I hope you recognize the children’s Sunday school song. Many of our children have learned the same song. Songs like these are educational and influential because it allows our children to learn scripture without them needing to memorize lines of text. But the song leaves out some really important details – details like Zacchaeus was a chief of the tax collectors, and as such was a wealthy man. And Zacchaeus must have been a spiritual man because he went to great lengths just to “see” Jesus. And, being a short man, Zacchaeus comes to the attention of Jesus – who sees past his disability (we can only assume that his stature is mentioned in the bible because it was debilitating to him) and sees his faith. But, besides the children’s song and the things we read between the lines, what if Zacchaeus was not only short in stature, but Acrophobic as well? In other words, what if Zacchaeus was afraid of heights?

So much about this encounter with Jesus depends on Zacchaeus scurrying up a Sycamore tree so he can see Jesus. I often wonder if people who are “short of stature” are also afraid of heights – that their short stature makes them more secure being closer to the ground. I have no idea if this is true, it is just one of the many thoughts running through my mind as I think of Zacchaeus. If he was Acrophobic, he would have had to find another way to see Jesus, and possibly may have never had the chance. But it wasn’t just seeing Jesus that changed his life, it was the fact that Jesus did not just see a short man in a tree, he saw a man of strong faith. And when he saw him, he said “Today I am coming to your house, Zacchaeus.”

Imagine Jesus coming down the road and saying to you, “Today, I am coming to your house”. It would be like the Pope riding by in his Pope Mobile and stopping in front of your house and saying to you “Can I come in and sit and talk?” It is no wonder that Zacchaeus is profoundly changed by his encounter. But, Jesus can have that effect on you and me as well – if we welcome him into our lives through scripture, through involvement in a church community, and through prayer.

Pastor Dave