Friday, March 26, 2021

Zacchaeus was a wee little man...


Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week and the "triumphant entry" into Jerusalem.  Jesus had been preaching and teaching for three years and His time had come.

The city of Jericho was about 15 miles outside of Jerusalem, about an 8 hour walk, and where Jesus would stay on his last night before entering Jerusalem.  The crowds had gathered, anxious to see this Jesus they had heard so much about.  

Zacchaeus was there too... "and a wee little man was he!"  
Like me, did you sing that song about a zillion times with your kids??

This story has always intrigued me, so of course I googled it "to see what I could see!"  And this is THE tree!  Or at least believed to be THE tree that Zacchaeus climbed to get a good look!  It is in the heart of old Jericho and dates back well over 2000 years.

I have tried to imagine what that day must have felt like... the energy, the crowds, the hope for their future.  Zacchaeus climbed the tree... why?  Did he arrive late and the crowds were too large for him to see?  Did he want a birds eye view of the whole scene?  As a tax collector, maybe he was a little nervous to be found out to be a follower of Jesus.

I wonder and ask myself, where would I have been that day?  Would I have thought, that's a good idea... and climbed to sit next to Zacchaeus in the tree watching from afar, or maybe I'd be standing along the side of the road hoping to get a glimpse of the savior, perhaps reaching out for a touch of his robe?  Or would I have been one of his followers, maybe for days or weeks or months in this journey.? Or, would I be right by his side, talking with Him about this journey and faith and God.

I wonder.... 





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