Jesus and Zaccheus – unlikely friends

Xanthe Galanis

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately.  I must stay at your house today.’
Luke 19:5

Zacchaeus was rich, powerful, and everyone knew who he was, but he probably didn't have many friends. He was a tax collector, which meant he collected money for the Roman government and anything he could extort beyond that was his. He bankrupted people, he defaulted on loans, and he seized people’s possessions. It's no surprise that no one liked him.

With this in mind, imagine the murmur that rippled through the crowd when Jesus publically invited himself to stay. Sharing a meal with people meant the same in Zacchaeus' day as it does now – it's an act of friendship.

It's unlikely that Zacchaeus had much in common with the people who came over to his house the day he met Jesus. They had different jobs, they came from different social circles, different backgrounds, but their love for Jesus and their desire to be with him and learn from him brought them together. This is what Jesus does for sinners. He calls us by name, he invites us to a friendship. He doesn't care whether or not it’s socially acceptable and he doesn't do it to make himself look better, and neither should we.

It makes me wonder who I've overlooked that God may want to position as my friend?  The woman I usually ignore at the office?  The man who speaks with an accent or may not speak my language at all?  The poor, the lonely, the different-from-me?  Let’s look up from our comfortable circles and look out to a world that’s so in need of a friend like Jesus…or like you and me.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I have not chosen my friends as you did. Help me to see value in people the way you do.  Help me to look beyond my current circle of friends and begin to include those that you include. Amen.