Joy Enter di House of Zacchaeus

Big man wey wear expensive cloth dey hang for middle of tree. Im sandals don scratch, im robe don hook for one branch, and di whole street wey dey under am go soon look up see am.

Dis na Jericho, old city wey get palm trees and springs of water, green and warm, wey sit down for low ground inside di Jordan valley. People wey dey travel go Jerusalem dey pass through am for di last part of di road wey climb enter di hills. And today, di traveller wey everybody dey talk about pass dey pass: Jesus of Nazareth. Di streets full. Everybody want see am. Inside di crowd na one man wey dem dey call Zacchaeus. Luke tell us two things about am. E be chief tax collector, and e rich. For dat time, tax collectors dey work for di Romans and dem dey keep part of di money for demself, many times plenty pass wetin dem suppose take. People no just dislike dem. Dem see dem as traitors and thieves. And Zacchaeus no be ordinary tax collector. Na im be di oga of all di tax collectors.

Zacchaeus want see who Jesus be. But problem dey. E short, and di crowd no ready to give am space. Nobody for Jericho go do Zacchaeus any favour. So e do something wey no fit im position at all. E run go front for di road, find one sycamore-fig tree wey im branches low and spread wide, and e climb enter am. From there e go fit see Jesus as e dey pass, and maybe nobody go notice am. Then Jesus reach dat place. And e stop. E look up inside di branches, straight for Zacchaeus face, and e call am by im name. Zacchaeus, hurry come down, because today I must stay for your house. No be another person house. No be di house of di family wey people respect pass for town. Today I must stay for your own.

Zacchaeus scramble come down as quick as e fit. Luke talk say e welcome Jesus with joy. You fit almost see am dey brush di leaves comot for im body, dey smile from ear to ear, dey lead di way go house. But di crowd no dey smile. Grumbling spread for di whole street. E don go stay as guest for house of man wey be sinner. For dem, dis one shock dem. Teacher of God suppose stay far from people like Zacchaeus. To chop with person mean say you welcome am, say you be im friend. And Jesus don choose di one man for Jericho wey dem for never choose.

Then Zacchaeus stand up. Maybe e dey for di table, maybe for di door, as di crowd still dey murmur outside. And e talk to Jesus: Look, Lord, I dey give half of everything wey I get to poor people. And if I don cheat anybody for anything, I go pay am back four times. Nobody tell am make e do am. Jesus no give am list of rules. Di welcome wey e receive don change am. Di man wey spend im life dey collect, now e want dey give. And Jesus talk: Today, salvation don enter dis house, because dis man too na son of Abraham. Because di Son of Man come to find and to save wetin don lost. Zacchaeus, di outsider, don belong again.

Di four times wey Zacchaeus promise to pay back no be any number wey e just pick. Di law of Moses talk say thief wey steal sheep and sell am must pay back four sheep for am. Zacchaeus put dat hard punishment on top imself, di kind payment wey thief wey dem don judge go pay. And di word wey Luke use for im work, chief tax collector, no appear anywhere else for di whole New Testament.

Joy Enter di House of Zacchaeus. You go find am for Luke chapter nineteen, verse one to ten. Di baby wey dem born for Bethlehem grow up become man wey come find people wey don lost, even person wey dey inside tree. And di joy of dem to find am turn person wey dey collect to person wey dey give. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When Jesus welcome Zacchaeus, joy make am begin dey give with open hand. Who you fit surprise with your generosity dis Christmas?