Zacchaeus . . . said to the Lord, “. . . Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

— Luke 19:8

The story of Zacchaeus always fascinates me.

Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming to town. Word had spread about Jesus, and Zacchaeus wanted to get a glimpse of him. The crowds were so thick that Zacchaeus had to climb a tree in order to see Jesus pass by. But then Jesus stopped right in front of the tree Zacchaeus was in, looked up at him, and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

The crowd overhearing this exchange was surprised—and not in a good way! Zacchaeus was a tax collector for the Romans, and the people saw tax collectors as greedy collaborators who took advantage of hardworking local citizens.

But then the crowd watched Zacchaeus transform. He gave generously to the poor, and he paid back four times what he had cheated from people. This whole scene was unlike so many of Jesus’ other interactions with people. Jesus didn’t heal Zacchaeus from a physical illness. He didn’t give Zacchaeus food or water. In fact, Jesus asked Zacchaeus for something—a place to stay.

If you’re like me, you might tend to wait for an invitation from someone to spend time with them—especially when you’re busy. But is there anyone whom God might be prompting you to connect with today?

God, thank you for all of your work in the lives of the people around me. Please help me to see whom I can reach out to and connect with. Amen.