One of the most poignant details in the story of
Zaccheus is the moment his newfound joy at welcoming the
Lord to his house is possibly jeopardized by the judgmental
grumbling of the crowd. We can imagine his panic, fearing
perhaps that when Jesus hears the grumbling he will change
his mind. He fervently promises to amend his ways to convince
the Lord, not realizing that Jesus Christ reaches out to
us because of pure grace. We cannot earn a visit from
Christ. Yet we can rest assured that he does come to us,
even if we are as unworthy as Zaccheus. Negative comments
will not change God’s enduring love for us, a love
that reaches out to us even in our darkest, lowest moments.