Zaccheus

KFW 11/3/2013

Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10)

Once there was a man named zaccheus.  There are four things you need to know about Zaccheus before we get started:  1) Zaccheus was very very short. 2) Zaccheus had a LOT of money 3) nobody liked Zaccheus very much because he had a LOT of money, which he got by collecting taxes.  Ask your mom and dad—they probably don’t like tax collectors much either.  And 4) Zaccheus lived in the city of Jericho.

Our story today begins with Jesus coming to Jericho.  People were very excited to see Jesus.  Can you cheer “Hooray!  Jesus is here!”  There were CROWDS of people EVERYWHERE just trying to see Jesus!  Zaccheus stood trying to see Jesus, but he couldn’t see over all the people. He was too short! He tried to move closer.  “Excuse me!  Coming through!”  He’d say—he though he was VERY important because he had such an important job and he knew Jesus would want to see him!  He still couldn’t see Jesus! He was too short! He tried to move closer, and STILL couldn’t see him.  So do you know what he did?  He climbed a BIIIIIIG Sycamore tree!  Can you climb with me. Up, up, up, up!  And he looked out over the crowd (put a hand over your eyes) and he kept looking for Jesus! Far in the distance he could see Jesus coming!  He kept watching as Jesus got closer and closer and closer! 

As soon as Jesus got to that spot, he looked up into the tree and called, “Zaccheus!  Come down!  Right now! I must stay at your house today!”  (have the kids repeat with you, a phrase at a time).  WOW!  The people around him were mad!  They said, “how can Jesus go to his house?  Zaccheus is not very nice!  He takes our money and then talks all about his money!”

Zaccheus thought.  He came down and said to Jesus, “Here Lord—I now give half of everything I have to the poor, and if I have been unfair, I will give them each four times what I should give them to be fair.”   

Jesus said to him, “Today, you have made me very happy and have shown how much you love me.  You are acting like one of my children.  I came, hoping to show you my love and to love all who feel lonely.”

What did we learn?  Jesus came to love us.  Jesus will help us when we are lost or afraid, he loves us even when others think we are not nice or can’t be loved.

The paragraph that's highlighted is the one I'm struggling the most with to change into something kids can understand.  The original says that "Today salvation has come to [Zaccheus], because he is a son of Abraham."  Jesus says then that he came to save the lost.  In your own understanding, do you feel that saying his actions show him to be like one of God's children and that Jesus came to share love and help those who feel lonely is an okay interpretation for kids?  How else can we maybe integrate the story of Zaccheus into their frame of understanding?