阅读经文 

这个月早些时候，我们读到基甸的故事，他从树下被呼召出来，以特殊的角色侍奉神。（参士 6）今天这个故事中，另一个不太可能的人也被呼召了——但在这个故事中，撒该是在树上。这个故事吸引了孩子们和成年人的想象力，因为它有一个令人愉快的、幽默的画面：一个矮小的人爬到树上，当耶稣经过时，他可以看到别人的头顶。

我们应该注意到耶稣立刻和撒该建立了关系。也要注意到那些论断撒该和耶稣之人的嘀咕。这里没有提到撒该和耶稣对众人敌意的反应。相反，我们看到的是，撒该如何表现出脆弱和好客，以及耶稣如何为悔改和宽恕留下余地。

这个故事对你有什么启发？你是否和撒该有同感，经常做错事，而且被人瞧不起？还是像那些挑别人的错，嘀嘀咕咕的人群一样？又或是和耶稣一样，从人群中看到了人们的真实渴望：被看见，被爱，被赞美？

对于各个地方的我们每个人，让我们祈求耶稣会抬头看我们，从我们的位置上呼唤我们，邀请我们与祂共度时光。祂会扭转我们的生命，好使我们在人生旅途中，向任何我们可能误解或利用的人伸出同情之手。

Earlier this month, we read about Gideon, who was called out from under a tree to serve God in a special role. (Judges 6) In this story, another unlikely man is called—but, in this case, Zacchaeus was up in a tree! This story captures the imaginations of children and adults because of the delightfully humorous picture of a short man clambering up a tree to see over the heads of other people as Jesus passes by.

We should pay attention to the immediate relationship Jesus begins with Zacchaeus. Notice also the muttering of the people who pass judgment on both Zacchaeus and Jesus. Nothing is said about Zacchaeus and Jesus' response to the hostility of the crowd. Instead, we see how Zacchaeus and Jesus demonstrate vulnerability and hospitality and how Jesus makes space for repentance and forgiveness.

How does this story speak to you? Do you identify with Zacchaeus, having done wrong and having often been overlooked? Do you identify with the muttering crowd, who are on the lookout for the mistakes of others? Do you identify with Jesus, who looks over the crowd and sees people for who they really are: found, loved, and celebrated?

For every one of us, everywhere, let's pray that Jesus will look up and call us from our perches and invite us to spend time with him. He will make things right in our lives so that we can extend compassion to anyone we may have misunderstood or taken advantage of along the way.