Out On A Limb

Luke 19: 2 - 10

            There was a man called Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was very rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, but was unable to because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see him, for Jesus was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received him gladly. When the people in the crowd saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”

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I love hearing this Gospel story. It always makes me smile. I can see the actor Danny DeVito playing the part of Zaccheus, jumping up and down in the crowd, like a pogo stick, trying to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Suddenly a light bulb goes off in his head and he scurries up a tree and out on a limb to see the teacher whom the whole town is talking about: Jesus the miracle worker.

            The Gospel tells us that Zaccheus was short in stature, ‘vertically challenged’ as we would say today with more political correctness. The Gospel also tells us that the people disliked him for being a tax collector; that they referred to him as a sinner. But rather than feeling sorry for himself, self-conscious and inadequate, Zaccheus finds a way. He goes out on a limb for Jesus.

            And then what happens? This man, who could have gone home feeling unloved and inadequate, pulls himself out on the limb only to find that Jesus has seen him first and is smiling at him and giving him the honor of being his host. “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” This man who took a risk to catch just a glimpse of Jesus was filled with joy.            

            There may be some of us who long to welcome Jesus into our heart, into our home, but feel unworthy, inadequate; some who rather than turning outward toward Jesus, rather than going out on a limb, turn inward and fall into the pit of self-loathing and depression.

            Whenever we are tempted to do this, let’s remember that not only Zaccheus but most, if not all, of the great saints felt unworthy and inadequate at times. What made them saints was that they did not cave in and give up; they turned their thoughts away from themselves and outward to Jesus. And like Zaccheus, they found to their surprise that Jesus was just waiting for them to welcome him into their homes.

            None of us is inadequate. Each of us is adequate; each of us is enough – because each of us is a beloved child of God. We will miss out on the joy of locking eyes with Jesus if we hold ourselves back from taking a risk, if we decide to go home rather than out on a limb.           

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Readers of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on Amazon.com:

Just to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday Life

Synchronicity as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry