Just before Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus reaches out to a most unlikely observer. You probably have heard of Zacchaeus the tax collector. We know of him as the "wee little man." He had a lot of strikes against him. As a tax collector he was viewed as a collaborator with the enemy, Rome. Not only was he working with the enemy and selling out his own people, he was getting rich in the process. He had to look pretty selfish to his fellow Jews.
We don't know what led him to a career in tax collecting, but he may have had a struggle with rejection in his life. Perhaps he was rejected because of his stature or unfortunate family connections. Maybe he was just abrasive. If he was going to be rejected anyway, he might as well get rich. He certainly did not have any friends who would clear the way for him to see the visiting celebrity.
So he climbed a tree to get a better look. He probably wanted to blend into the scenery. But Jesus took special notice of him. He called to Zacchaeus in front of the whole crowd and asked to be Zacchaeus's guest.
Just before the last week of Jesus's earthly life he took time to reach out to a reject.
To Jesus, no one is a reject.
