The Man Up the Tree
What Zacchaeus teaches us about being seen, not just noticed
Welcome to today’s reflection.
Today, we explore a passage that most people will know. But beneath the familiar children’s chorus lies something far more unsettling and far more hopeful. This is not just about Zacchaeus.
It is about what happens when grace calls your name.
In a culture obsessed with visibility, here’s a story about what it means to be truly seen.
Sunday schools have always loved Zacchaeus. At least, they love to act out his story and sing the song about the “wee little man” who climbs a tree to see Jesus. It’s one of those vivid, film-ready Bible stories, simple, visual, and packed with feeling.
Children relate easily to it: being small, stuck at the back of a crowd, desperate to see what’s going on. However, it isn’t just a children’s story. Some adults know that feeling, too, wanting to glimpse something real, feeling like they are not properly seen.
Luke, the gospel writer, is the only one who tells Zacchaeus’s story, and he places it with care. It comes right after another encounter with a rich man, one who walks away from Jesus, unable to part with his wealth. Zacchaeus is the opposite. He doesn’t walk away; he runs ahead. He climbs the tree, and he risks embarrassment for the chance to see something, or someone, more important than his pride.
That’s when everything changes.
