Many folks in my Beloved Congregation may have sung in kindergarten: "Zaccheus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was heee..." The story of his faith journey has something in common with the story of the blind beggar which was recounted in yesterday's gospel. He heard that Jesus was passing by, but he could not see him because he was shorter than usual and the crowd made it difficult. Climbing a tree was his best option! That effort, like the cry of the blind beggar, caught Jesus' attention. Jesus' response was to defy pious Jewish practice that considered tax collectors "unclean" people who could not be touched. Jesus goes to Zaccheus' house to dine! The extraordinary effort of Zaccheus is matched by Jesus' extraordinary effort.
The words of another hymn, Amazing Grace, come to mind. I once was lost but now am found. The "lost and found" theme appears over and over again in the gospels. The task of a missionary is to seek out the "lost" and "find" them. The New Testament was composed by missionaries for missionaries. The danger in being "found" is to forget what it was like to be "lost," and lose the same zeal that "found" one in the first place! A good model would be the friends who bring a paralyzed friend up on the roof to get him down to Jesus! [Luke 5:17-26]. Yes, the missionary effort requires zeal and enthusiasm, but also the wisdom of sensitivity, tact and timing! Conversion is not always as dramatic as the gospel stories present. And we may have to "find" ourselves before we try to "find" others. Keeping an ear open to the cry on the edge of the crowd or to the tree limb ahead can result in salvation! AMEN