The Shameless Tree Climber

When I was a kid we lived one year at a place that had an orange tree in the backyard.  Sounds exciting on paper, but it wasn't that great in reality.  Mostly because the neighborhood wasps found it before we did and were fiercely protective of it.  Every time we tried to get near the delicious looking oranges, those nasty little stingers were determined to keep us away.  It was frustrating to smell the oranges, see the oranges but never taste the oranges!

I imagine that's what Zacchaeus felt like when he heard stories of the new rabbi coming to Jericho.  He wanted to get to Jesus, to see Jesus and listen to him. Zacchaeus had more than a few wasps barring his way.  Scripture said he was short of stature and we often go to the simplest of translations that he was a Danny DeVito, a short man who couldn't see above the heads of the taller folks around him.  However, it's possible that he was short of stature in the community, more like status challenged rather than height challenged.  Certainly, the description of who he was and what he did for a living adds credibility to this theory.  Last week's scripture described the difference between a religious leader and a tax collector and how Jesus used the disreputable tax collector as an example of humbleness that is to be honored. 

Zacchaeus wasn't just a disreputable tax collector; he was the head of all tax collectors in Jericho.  Like a loan shark who worked for a foreign country, he would have less respect from his fellow countrymen than a CRA agent born in Fort McMurray trying to get carbon tax payments out of oil companies!  He was a traitor not just to the citizens of Jericho but also to the principles of Hebrew scriptures who taught never to accept bribes, charge interest on loans or collect more than his fair share.  I'm sure if he had been asked prior to climbing the tree, he would have said that it wasn't him that was at fault, it was the system.  And it was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it. 

That was enough to folks to treat him waspishly, to feel stung by his greed, and to resent him so much that they weren't going let him get by their blockade.  How dare someone like him want to see someone as amazing as this Jesus was!  They shut him out, turned their backs on him and refused to give an inch to this greedy selfish man. 

Back then men showed their importance by how mature and dignified they acted in public.  The prodigal father, for example, would have scandalized his neighborhood by running to meet his returning son home from big city pig stys, hiking his skirts to do so, and flashing his calves in the process. 

If running was such a shameful act for a man in a story, how much more embarrassing would it be for a prominent citizen to climb a tree in public? 

Now I will confess to climbing the occasional tree even as an adult, but you would never catch me doing it in a long dress.  Can you imagine the scandal of a grown man being so silly as to do such a thing?  I have no idea how easy sycamore trees are to climb.  Was this an easy thing for Zacchaeus to do, or imagining Danny DeVito, again, was this a hot sweaty activity he did while others laughed at him, ignored him or even didn't notice him in the growing excitement of the crowd? 

Regardless, he was so hungry to see Jesus he ignored his discomfort, embarrassment and even further censure of his neighbors if he was that willing to go out on a limb to see Jesus! 

Talk about faith!  Not too different from an orange tree producing fruit that humans can't eat because of wasps. Silly, ridiculous even. 

Faith can be a tenuous thing that seems ridiculous from the outside. It can be an impulsive thing or a well-thought out plan. It can show up when we least expect it to.  When I started planning my fruit of the Spirit theme, I randomly paired faith with oranges without any particular reason.  And when I set out on my adventure to Toronto, I felt a bit silly at the idea of me helping out with a hymnbook project. Everyone else had a master's in music or a doctorate in music, wrote hymns or worked full-time as organists, music ministers and the like.  What could I as a lowly ukulele player contribute?  When I got to my hotel room, I found an old tea bag in my purse that was wild sweet orange tea.  Our first meal out in the General Council Office was garnished with an inch thick slice of orange.  And at the hotel breakfast buffet, I grabbed a couple of packets of what I thought was honey to soothe my singing throat and when I got to the Islington United Church room we were using, I discovered that they were packets of orange marmalade! 

But more importantly, despite not being a professional musician whatsoever, I was treated with dignity and respect and kindness by everyone there.  Bruce Harding, musician and editor of More Voices helped me navigate the subway.  Lloyd MacLean, member of the band who wrote songs like "Draw the Circle Wide" and "My Love Colors Outside the Lines" listened to my comments with respect, and my classmate Alydia Smith who has a doctorate in ministry and works at General Council as the Identity and Mission Network coordinator, was happy to see me again!

They treated me just like Jesus treated Zacchaeus!  Except Jesus went way more overboard.  He didn't just preach about being kind to those we see as less than or other than us, he broke through the mindset of 'othering' people completely.  He saw the silly man perched precariously in the branches and invited himself over for supper.  Just like my orange tea bag gathering dust in my purse, Jesus was found in the embarrassing moments, the lost moments, the impulsive moments and barged in unexpectedly.  Something that continues to happen today when we go out on a limb and climb to get a clearer view.  May we find Jesus in our own such moments of faith!