His small heart grew three sizes that day. Then the true meaning of Christmas came through; and Zacchaeus… I mean the Grinch… found the strength of ten Grinches plus two.
It isn’t Dr. Suess.
It’s the story of a man who had taken everything from the townspeople, and how he was transformed by an encounter with the original “Christ”mas.
It is hard for me, at times, to remember that Jesus held just as much concern for the wealthy and powerful in relationship with God as he did the poor and down-trodden. Although Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), the tax collector, leads very different life from those he takes advantage of, his personal suffering is not dissimilar.
He finds himself under-resourced to access what he wants. Why else would Zacchaeus go out of his way to get a glimpse of the rumored Messiah as he simply passed through his town? Arguably, his sprint ahead of the crowd and climbing of the tree was a break in character from the stature he was accustomed.
Zacchaeus did not go seeking Jesus. Jesus found him where he was. No different than the blind man, the leper, or the possessed man in the cave, Zacchaeus is one more hurting person in Jesus’ path who has fallen out of community.
Popular opinion was appalled that Jesus would spend time with Zacchaeus. But Jesus knew that bringing about the kingdom was not an exclusive invitation. The poor often need to be invited into the home God intended for humanity, but the fact that Zacchaeus had one did not make him any less lost. So, Jesus invites himself to become a part of what Zacchaeus already had.
In one of his beloved books, Theologian Henri Nouwen writes, “Nobody says we should love the rich less than we love the poor. The poor are indeed held in the heart of God. We need to remember that the rich are held there too…More and more, my experience is that rich people are also poor, but in other ways.”
Christmas came to Whoville without ribbons and tags. It came without packages, boxes and bags. The Grinch had taken the Whos material representations of Christmas; but it did not change who they were.
“Welcome Christmas, come this way. Welcome Christmas, Christmas Day,” the Whos sang that empty Christmas morning. And it became an invitation for the Grinch to experience the world a little differently.
“Christmas Day is in our grasp. So long as we have hands to clasp,” they sang and were joyful without presents at all. Not only did it cause the Grinch a change of heart, he brought everything back and joined the Whos in a Chrismas feast, in which he himself carved the roast beast!
With Jesus’s invitation extended, Zacchaeus too becomes part of a new communion; and as a result, he chooses to participate in community differently.
No matter how far apart we find ourselves in economic status, social standing, religious values, or other things that divide us, we cannot underestimate that those who experience the world differently than us may very well be listening when we least expect it.
Our God is a God of many truths.
It is true that homelessness effects public safety, economic development and community aesthetic. It is also true that communities across the country lack affordable housing, supportive services capacity and systemic solutions for individuals who live outside to have alternatives.
It is true that people should not break the law to live in the United States. It is also true that our country has contributed to political and economic instability in other countries without offering reparations or a viable path for immigration.
It is true that families, churches and neighborhoods should function as organic support for troubled youth, people with disabilities, young mothers and aging adults. We should not need the government to prop up social systems to ensure that all are fed, housed and cared for.
It is also true that the bonds of relationship have weakened. We no longer know our neighbors, our social networks have been replaced by computers, and we have become the loneliest generation yet.
It is true that God is unambiguously concerned with how the poor, the differently-abled, the refugee accesses a life that is flourishing. It is also true that the kingdom cannot come until the tax collector comes down from the tree and makes space in his home for love.
– Meghann Cotter
Executive Servant-Leader
Micah Ecumenical Ministries