Sycamore Theology

In Luke 19 Zacchaeus is transformed, and this has no small effect on his life. In Jesus’ words, today salvation has come to this house. And he further explains: The Son of Man has come to seek out and to save what is lost. We need to permit the story the opportunity to make its full and radical impact. We do an injustice to it if we just talk about the wonder of the conversion without bringing out the radical implications of that transformation. This story starts with a wealthy tax collector. At the end of the story, which takes just a few hours at most, he ends up with virtually nothing. This is about revolution with revolutionary implications. This is about the cry for justice. This is about the need for transformation, and that need has not gone away. We need to retell this story which goes against the grain of prevailing values today, as it did then, and I guess we just need to hope that people do still climb trees.