Lunch with Jesus
1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A
man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a
chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see
who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not,
because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a
sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming
that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up
and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately.
I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down
at once and welcomed him gladly. 7All the people saw
this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the
guest of a 'sinner.' " 8But Zacchaeus stood up and
said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half
of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated
anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the
amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has
come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of
Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to
save what was lost."
Luke 19:1-10 (NIV)
1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A
man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a
chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see
who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not,
because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a
sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming
that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up
and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately.
I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down
at once and welcomed him gladly. 7All the people saw
this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the
guest of a 'sinner.' " 8But Zacchaeus stood up and
said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half
of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated
anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the
amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has
come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of
Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to
save what was lost."
Luke 19:1-10 (NIV)
A while ago, a teacher that I worked with decided to reenact the story of
Zacchaeus for the preschool children. While they were at chapel, she
clothed herself in Biblical garb and climbed up into the huge pepper tree
that graces the corner of our playground and lunch area. And there she
sat, a little, blond, blue-robed "Zacchaeus", waiting for the children to
walk by on their way back to the classrooms.
When chapel ended, the preschool staff led the children back to class
with a slight detour near the tree and as they came near, Zacchaeus
called down, "Did you see Him? I'm waiting to see Jesus!" The children
settled in on blankets at the foot of the tree and Miss Julie told the story
of Zacchaeus from her perch. As she was finishing the story for her
fascinated audience (We had even gained an older student or two, for
who can resist a teacher in a tree!?) our PE teacher, barefoot and clothed
in a robe from a Christmas play, came and called up to her, "Zacchaeus,
you come down! I'm coming to have lunch with you!" And down she
came, rather precipitously but safely, and off they strolled together.
The preschool teachers had a Bible-times snack ready for the children
and all the children were smiling and chattering excitedly as they sat
down. But as they prayed together before eating, one little girl burst into
tears. Little three-year-old Meg was inconsolable. Knowing that she was
a picky eater, one teacher urged her to just try a piece of flat bread.
Another teacher rushed a cup of juice to her, thinking that she had been
skipped. And still she howled. Finally, she stopped crying long enough
to stammer out, "But I want to have lunch with Jesus, too!"
If you found out that Jesus was stopping by to have lunch with your
boss, your pastor, your state governor or a person that you deeply
respect, would you be disgruntled and envious or would you do
everything in your power to go along? Would you let their status
intimidate you into thinking that they were more important or more
qualified to speak with Jesus, or would you boldly invite yourself along?
Little Meg, at three years of age, refused a yummy snack, opposed
authority (her teachers) and loudly maintained her need to dine with
Jesus. Nothing else would do. Would you be so audacious?
When our Heavenly Father sent Jesus to be our salvation from sin
through His innocent death and resurrection, it was not for just the
powerful, the wealthy or the educated. Zacchaeus was a sinful man, yet
Jesus sought him out. This freely given gift of grace is for all who will
believe and proclaim Christ to be their Savior. Christian life is not a
passive state of being and we are called to be bold for Jesus. To follow
Him without hesitation, out of love and gratitude, is our ultimate
aspiration. Nothing else should satisfy us. Is it possible to be like those
first disciples? "At once they left their nets and followed him" Mark 1:18
(NIV) One three-year-old preschool student thinks so!
So in the end, did Meg get to have lunch with our PE teacher, AKA
Jesus? Not exactly. When it became evident that Meg would not be
satisfied unless she at least talked to Jesus, "he" was contacted by
walkie-talkie and asked to come to the school office. Meg's eyes were as
big as saucers when she heard his voice say, "I'll be right there!" But
when he walked in dressed in shorts and a school polo shirt, Meg began
to lose interest. In typical three-year-old style, she was done with the
moment long before the adults were. She voiced her desire to have her
snack now and, solemnly regarding this ordinary man who had the
audacity to sound like Jesus, she and her entourage swept out of the
office. We all laughed at the time, but have held that experience in our
hearts ever since, remembering and honoring a little girl's spirited quest
to have lunch with Jesus.
©2008 Elizabeth Williams
Zacchaeus for the preschool children. While they were at chapel, she
clothed herself in Biblical garb and climbed up into the huge pepper tree
that graces the corner of our playground and lunch area. And there she
sat, a little, blond, blue-robed "Zacchaeus", waiting for the children to
walk by on their way back to the classrooms.
When chapel ended, the preschool staff led the children back to class
with a slight detour near the tree and as they came near, Zacchaeus
called down, "Did you see Him? I'm waiting to see Jesus!" The children
settled in on blankets at the foot of the tree and Miss Julie told the story
of Zacchaeus from her perch. As she was finishing the story for her
fascinated audience (We had even gained an older student or two, for
who can resist a teacher in a tree!?) our PE teacher, barefoot and clothed
in a robe from a Christmas play, came and called up to her, "Zacchaeus,
you come down! I'm coming to have lunch with you!" And down she
came, rather precipitously but safely, and off they strolled together.
The preschool teachers had a Bible-times snack ready for the children
and all the children were smiling and chattering excitedly as they sat
down. But as they prayed together before eating, one little girl burst into
tears. Little three-year-old Meg was inconsolable. Knowing that she was
a picky eater, one teacher urged her to just try a piece of flat bread.
Another teacher rushed a cup of juice to her, thinking that she had been
skipped. And still she howled. Finally, she stopped crying long enough
to stammer out, "But I want to have lunch with Jesus, too!"
If you found out that Jesus was stopping by to have lunch with your
boss, your pastor, your state governor or a person that you deeply
respect, would you be disgruntled and envious or would you do
everything in your power to go along? Would you let their status
intimidate you into thinking that they were more important or more
qualified to speak with Jesus, or would you boldly invite yourself along?
Little Meg, at three years of age, refused a yummy snack, opposed
authority (her teachers) and loudly maintained her need to dine with
Jesus. Nothing else would do. Would you be so audacious?
When our Heavenly Father sent Jesus to be our salvation from sin
through His innocent death and resurrection, it was not for just the
powerful, the wealthy or the educated. Zacchaeus was a sinful man, yet
Jesus sought him out. This freely given gift of grace is for all who will
believe and proclaim Christ to be their Savior. Christian life is not a
passive state of being and we are called to be bold for Jesus. To follow
Him without hesitation, out of love and gratitude, is our ultimate
aspiration. Nothing else should satisfy us. Is it possible to be like those
first disciples? "At once they left their nets and followed him" Mark 1:18
(NIV) One three-year-old preschool student thinks so!
So in the end, did Meg get to have lunch with our PE teacher, AKA
Jesus? Not exactly. When it became evident that Meg would not be
satisfied unless she at least talked to Jesus, "he" was contacted by
walkie-talkie and asked to come to the school office. Meg's eyes were as
big as saucers when she heard his voice say, "I'll be right there!" But
when he walked in dressed in shorts and a school polo shirt, Meg began
to lose interest. In typical three-year-old style, she was done with the
moment long before the adults were. She voiced her desire to have her
snack now and, solemnly regarding this ordinary man who had the
audacity to sound like Jesus, she and her entourage swept out of the
office. We all laughed at the time, but have held that experience in our
hearts ever since, remembering and honoring a little girl's spirited quest
to have lunch with Jesus.
©2008 Elizabeth Williams
