You Need a Reject
It will do you no harm to find yourself ridiculous. Resign yourself to be the fool you are. – T.S. Eliot
Most of the 11 Indispensable Relationships have something to give you…your Zacchaeus requires something from you.
A Zacchaeus is a worst case scenario mentally, socially, physically or economically
A Zacchaeus is a convention breaker
A Zacchaeus isn’t oblivious but may not be focused where you are
A Zacchaeus is ‘out there’
The story of Zacchaeus is found in Luke 19. One of the oddest people Jesus ever befriended was a short, wealthy, self-made entrepreneur named Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector, the chief of sinners, and the ultimate social outcast. Jesus associated with people who scandalized the gossips of Palestine.
Which gossips are you scandalized? Or have you made your network as hypoallergenic as possible? As you think about who your Zacchaeus is and who you are a Zacchaeus to, keep this in mind…most of the 11 have something to give you… Zacchaeus requires something from you.
A Zacchaeus is empowered by their refusal to conform to the conventions of Western culture. Your Zacchaeus often turns out to be one of the most important people in your life – your zero-to-one person. The distance from 0-1 is greater than any distance from 1 to any other number.
Be mindful that Zacchaeus is ‘out there’. We have to go looking for Zacchaeus-types because they know they can’t fit into church culture. It is time for Christ followers to ‘get out more’… beyond the walls of our church buildings. Out there in love, out there in service, out there in relationships, out there in compassion.
Zacchaeus is inefficient, but their inefficiency reshapes you into the image of Christ. Life runs so much more smoothly and efficiently without a Zacchaeus, but maybe it’s time to make effigies of efficiency. You need a person who is mocked by others.
Journal Questions
Have you had a Zacchaeus in your life? How did you treat them?
Were you ever the Zacchaeus in someone else’s life? How were you treated?
How many relationships have you shunned or social settings have you avoided to ‘look good’ to your Christian/church friends?
Where is the balance between having Zacchaeuses in our lives and allowing them to reshape our lives?