Zacchaeus’ great gift is not that he has led a disciplined life of prayer and goodness; he has become thoroughly sucked in to a life of wealth and position, even at the cost of marginalizing himself from his own people. His great gift is simply the desire he has to see Jesus. Not only does he want to see Jesus, but he is prepared to do whatever it takes to see Him – to find a space above the crowd, whatever the indignity of his action. Through hospitality with the Lord, Zacchaeus is changed – and his life emptied of some of what was holding him back from God’s love for him.
We live in a world that is not only unprecedentedly busy and filled with activity, but one that also prizes these things. Multitasking, working long hours, filling our schedules with activities – all these things are not only normal for many people, but things that are aspired to. The challenge is whether we can stop what we’re doing long enough to find a way of putting ourselves in a more spacious place, a place where we can see the Lord and He can look directly at us.