The image I saw was Jesus is really the savior of everyone. He saves people and He is the hope and salvation of humanity. He does not choose people to save but saves everyone in need and to those who are willing to give their life for the Lord. This really struck me the most because you don’t have to be someone to be saved. We are all equal in the eyes of God and despite of how much wrong doings you have done throughout your life, we are all the same and we will all have the chance to be saved by Jesus.

I was, before, the same as Zacchaeus. I was a lost sheep in need of being found. Like Zacchaeus, I was a silent Christian, meaning, I was not as firm and as vocal of my love for God as other Christian devotees. The reason behind this may be because I was not so sure of my faith. I have doubts. I have always questioned many things about Roman Catholicism and its authenticity. My curiousness was what made me doubt the trueness of God. Yes, I was one of the hundreds of teen Christians who believed in God and yet doubt on Him. I, like the others, were filled with curiosity and was easily fooled by various information we had received from different groups who have tried to tarnish the Church founded by Christ. Likewise, there are also challenges that I had faced that have only strengthened my doubt of God’s realness. All of these, combined, have caused me to be separated from His flock of sheep that Christ so effortfully tried to gather just for His flock to get unto the right destination at the end of time. Thankfully, Jesus did not let me to forever be lost in the wilderness. What struck me in the story was how I can see myself as Zacchaeus the moment Jesus approached Him for the reason that He initiated his salvation. He did not wait for Zacchaeus to talk to Him but rather, He initiated to approach. In my life, He approached me through using all the people that He could use just to bring me back to Him. My parents, especially my father, was there to fill in the seemingly endless queries that I have regarding the authenticity of Christ. At times when everything was falling apart, it was not me who put everything back together. It was Jesus, through the presence of my friends and family. He was and is my Shepherd. I am His sheep and as long as I stay near Him, my destination will be in Heaven along with the Father.

What struck me the most is the fact that Jesus, our almighty saviour, does not look down on sinners just like Zacchaeus. He saves people who needs to be saved and accepts us fully despite of all our sins. He forgives us even if we do not ask for his forgiveness and loves us all unconditionally. We may not realize it but his presence is everywhere. It is certain that each and every one of us has felt his presence even through simple things. Therefore, I think that no matter what life brings us, we should always put our faith in him and be grateful to our savior, Jesus Christ.

Zacchaeus was of short stature so seeing Jesus look up at him, though might’ve seemed simple for some, was a big thing for him. It was just like in our own lives where one single phrase can immediately affect us in a huge way. Jesus didn’t care whether Zacchaeus was small or that there were a lot of people who didn’t think highly of him. He doesn’t believe that there are some of us who are above all else and instead sees us all as equals who are all worthy of respect. Like in Zacchaeus’ life, Jesus is also constantly always present in mine. Whether directly or indirectly, He has made me feel better about myself which in turn led me to help others feel the same. I may not have completely reached the point where I don’t feel smaller than I really am but I have no fear that there will come a day where I stop staring at the ground and instead look up at people and realize that I am like them and they are like me and that Jesus loves us all the same way. 

In Zacchaeus story, he was small, rich and is the chief of tax collectors in Jericho. He is disliked by many because he collects tax more than what he’s supposed to and doesn’t spare from it. People looked down on him knowing that he really has a terrible reputation. Nevertheless, he was amazingly changed through Christ as an instrument of God. Jesus looked up at someone who is not looked up to and told Zacchaeus that he must eat in the small man’s house. This made the religious bystanders shocked because a teacher of love would go and eat with a sinner like Zacchaeus. Jesus has gone to be a guest of one who’s a sinner. But because God is undeniably powerful, a sinner’s heart was warmed by God’s love through Jesus. Jesus taught Zacchaeus the truth and how to obey and serve God. Sorrow and regret were felt by Zacchaeus and his meeting with Christ helped him repent.

Indeed, what is impossible for human beings is possible for God. A change happened in Zacchaeus as he embraced the truth about God through Christ. Jesus never chooses the person he’ll save from being lost. He is open, amorous, benevolent, and is our savior. And among these, what strikes me the most is Jesus being the ultimate savior of humanity. He’s our way to the discovery of the right path to take as he will light the way for us. It is only through Jesus that seeking for forgiveness was never hard as long as we let him enter into our lives. By opening our hearts and eyes to the holy truth just like what Zacchaeus did, there is no doubt that salvation will also find its way to us.