October 30, 2022 – Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 26)

Today’s Gospel from Luke introduces us to one of the more unusual characters in scripture, the wealthy tax collector Zacchaeus. He’s mentioned only in Luke’s Gospel. And he’s the only one identified in any of the Gospels explicitly by his physical stature. Luke says that Zacchaeus had trouble seeing Jesus because he was “short in stature,” so he climbed a sycamore tree for a better view.

Zacchaeus’ size could be perceived as a symbolic reflection of his status in the community… the smallness mirroring in some ways the perception of tax collectors as sinful, greedy men. The prophet Isaiah writes, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Could it be that Zacchaeus is put before us to help us understand that his size is reflective of another aspect of his life?

Men who are “short in stature” have common psychological characteristics:

• One study among soldiers found men at both extremes, very short or very tall, can have serious problems of self-esteem and may suffer from depression or anxiety.
• Research has found similar results among people suffering from dwarfism, with men often experiencing “emotional distress.”
• One experiment using virtual reality found reducing a person’s height can even give a feeling of paranoia and mistrust.
• According to several studies, beyond feeling a diminished sense of self, people who are shorter than average also face social diminishment. The Connecticut Law Review found significant instances of “height discrimination,” and a lack of legal action to solve the problem.

All this suggests that in Zacchaeus we are encountering a very short man who confronted a very long list of social, psychological and moral challenges. All of which helped make him the man who was spotted by Jesus watching from atop a tree a complicated figure who, perhaps, was also a victim of his own biology. 

It’s notable that Jesus speaks to Zacchaeus before the man says anything to Jesus. Jesus notices someone who has likely spent his life being overlooked. Jesus invites himself into Zacchaeus’ life and home. The first response of the crowd is that Jesus has aligned himself with a tax collector – a sinner.

But Jesus’ response affirms him as someone who has been shunned and looked down upon. Jesus says that this man too “is a descendent of Abraham” and affirms his status, dignity, stature, and worth.

Zacchaeus “hurried down” and welcomed Jesus with joy. He repented and pledged to give to the poor. He even said, “If I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” He realized that he was worthy of Jesus’ time and attention. And Jesus says that the “Son of Man came to seek out and to the lost.”

So what? Well, as he did so often, Jesus made time for and gave attention to those on the margins. In this case, it was a man who was looked down upon (literally) and hidden in the branches of a tree. He was a man who was considered a sinner – sinful and unscrupulous. We return to the words from Isaiah: God tells us through the prophet to wash ourselves; to make ourselves clean; to remove the evil of our doings from before God’s eyes; to cease to do evil, to learn to do good; to seek justice, to rescue the oppressed, to defend the orphan, and to plead for the widow.

God is telling us that the smallest measure matters. The insignificant is significant. God loves all things.

What are the aspects of life that make US feel insignificant, unimportant, insecure? Jesus sees what others miss and reaches out to them to help them feel included and embraced, extending not only forgiveness, but also mercy and kindness.

Jesus’ offer to Zacchaeus carries a message of mercy, of outreach, and of hope. To God, no sin is too great. No person is too insignificant in the eyes of God. Every person – ALL people – have dignity and are worthy of respect, and when called for, mercy.