Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree to see him.
Zacchaeus is a chief tax collector—wealthy, powerful, collaborating with Rome. He's short (both physically and in social estimation, probably intentional). He wants to see Jesus, so he climbs a tree like a child. There's something wonderfully undignified about it. Zacchaeus gives up pretense to get what he actually wants. Jesus sees him up there and says he's coming to his house. Zacchaeus encounters Jesus and his entire relationship to money transforms. But it started with that willing undignity—climbing a tree.
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