Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see
And when the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree
[SPOKEN] And said, 'Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I'm coming to your house today!
For I'm coming to your house today!' -- Unknown
Every now and then, I get an earworm, and the only
recourse I have for it is to let it roll around in my head until something else
replaces it, or I physically sing or write about it. I have no idea how this
one got in my brain a day or so ago. Still, it's become annoying and long past
its welcome, as much as I enjoyed singing it in Sunday School, Children's
Choir, and Vacation Bible School.
Granted, the story of Zaccheus comes in the gospel of
Luke, chapter 19:1-10, which won't be in our Daily Office Lectionary until fall.
Yet somehow, I need to think it through before it stays yet another day.
Zaccheus was a short man, probably not the only one in
town. Somehow, he was called out for individuality because of: (a) his being a
tax collector and therefore having at least two strikes against him, (b) his stature,
and (c) his accidental but very fortunate encounter with Jesus, who was passing
through. He was desperate to see this wonder-worker and teacher, but he knew he'd
never get through the crowd to get close enough so that taller people would not
be blocking his view.
If nothing else, Zacch was resourceful and fortunate to
be standing near a sycamore tree. He climbed up, perched on a branch, and could
see over everyone else's head. His visibility allowed Jesus to stop, look up, acknowledge
Zacch's presence, and announce that he, Jesus, was going to visit Zacch in his own
home. I don't know how many skid marks Zacch gained on his rush down the tree's
trunk to the ground, but any pain would have been worth it.
We often think of short as lacking something, much as Zaccheus's
lack of inches in height was to him. Shortages in our bank accounts make us anxious,
while being short-changed, whether in money or goods, usually makes us angry.
Our stores are experiencing shortages in many material and edible products we
need to live, just as many workers show their dissatisfaction with what they
consider poverty-level wages. Shortages make prices go up, just as people struggle
to get by as best they can and without many things they previously took for
granted.
Something I
have been considering today is that there are two things, at least, that we can
count on as never being in short supply: God's love and God's grace. God, being
so much greater than we can even begin to imagine, can love infinitely and
spread grace the same way. Granted, some cannot conceive of, much less accept,
such gifts since they are invisible and incomprehensible. They are only
perceived by those who have experienced them – much, I bet, as Zaccheus
experienced them from his perch on the tree branch.
I think it behooves me to think about with what I am gifted
instead of what I lack – in inches or anything else. I will be reminded of
Zaccheus again this fall, so I have time to practice climbing my personal
sycamore tree in anticipation and wait for the gift to come into my house.
There. The earworm is gone, but the memories of happy
times singing the tune and making the gestures that go with it linger. Still, I
will be grateful for the memories but will pray for a new tune to start running
through my head soon. Maybe "Christ Is Made A Sure Foundation" or "Cwm
Rhondda," please?
PS: For some interesting information on liturgical
practices involving this gospel reading in Eastern Orthodox, Slavic tradition
Greek Catholic, and Byzantine/Greek churches of the Eastern churches, please
see Liturgical Practices
under the heading Zaccheus, Wikipedia. Great Lent begins March 7, 2022.
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