thursday reflection for week 8

Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus is quite interesting. This story is so interesting to me because it does not say that Zacchaeus ceased being a tax collector. Luke recounts Zacchaeus' words, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much" (Luke 19:8). We can safely assume that Zacchaeus continued his profession, but he obviously changed the way in which he performed in his profession.

Zacchaeus' example says a great deal for us today. One of my big critiques with Shane Claiborne's book centered around his limited view of impacting culture. Claiborne followed Christ's command to love your neighbor so far that he moved into a neighborhood where the poor and oppressed live. However, what about the people in the business world or the entertainment world who need a prophetic voice? Claiborne seemed to neglect this part of our society. Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus, being a tax collector and man of power, shows that we need to pay attention to the world of affluence and transform that part of society as well. Perhaps this passage gives an exegetical tool for reading Jesus' command to the rich young ruler to "sell all that you have and come follow me."