Excitement filled Zac’s house.
“Get the china out of the cabinet.”
“Buy the best duck you can find at the market.”
“Polish the silverware.”

He didn’t usually get his best stuff out
For the scruffy crowd that came to his house.
The wealthy people he stole taxes from
Wouldn’t have anything to do with him or his silverware.

The friends he was able to patch together
Didn’t care about how the table looked.
They were more interested in
The companionship and acceptance than the plates.

So when Jesus came knocking
It was Zac’s rare opportunity to honor his guest
By pulling out the expensive table service
That he bought at a Jerusalem market.

The crowd had all heard about Jesus
So when Zac invited them to eat with Jesus
They were ecstatic as if they
Had been given a rare, expensive gift.

No one ever invited people like them,
Tax collectors, thieves, prostitutes, even lepers,
People living on the edge of life, desperate
Hungry, lonely, and lost.

They couldn’t “scratch anyone’s back”
Because they had nothing to scratch with,
No wealth, power, or prestige
That would be valuable to anyone.

What they brought that day to Zacchaeus’ house
Was infinitely more precious than his silverware.
Love, hunger, desperation, transparency
All wanting to hear a word from Jesus that would heal them.