Here we are again for another Windows Wednesday! Today, we will be looking at the central image in the “Friend of Sinners” window. This image, like the center of the other nave windows, depicts a scene from the life of Christ. In this scene, we see Jesus urging Zacchaeus down from the tree. It is a moving story, and one that can be applied in our own lives today.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector. In the days of Jesus, tax collectors were particularly despised. In addition to serving a vital function to empower the occupying Roman government, they were permitted to collect any amount of tax they saw fit. Whatever they collected over and above the amounts required by the Roman government, they were permitted to keep. This gave them the likely deserved reputation as greedy thieves and traitors. When Jesus arrives in Zacchaeus’ town, the crowd is so thick that the short tax collector cannot see him on the road. He therefore climbs a sycamore tree and catches Jesus’ eye. This leads to the scene we see on the window. Jesus calls to Zacchaeus to come down out of the tree and asks to dine with him. The formerly greedy and despised man is so humbled, he repents of his sins and promises restitution to those he has harmed.
In this story, we see the powerful message of Christ’s loving nature: giving love unconditionally has the power to change lives. A welcoming heart and an open mind can change the world in ways that ridicule and spitefulness cannot. Dr. Palmer explained this story well in his sermon “The Mediator” (click here for the sermon video and audio links). As Methodists, we believe very strongly in this tenet of Christianity. “The United Methodist Church believes God’s love for the world is an active and engaged love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers.” (The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church, 2012) May we all exercise that love in our own lives and bring those around us out of the tree and into fellowship with God.
A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “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.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” Luke 19:2–10
Click or scroll over the image below to see the artist’s design for this window.
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