Seeing that Zacchaeus is only a small person with a humongous problem with his way of living, he does not seem to be deserving of forgiveness as he is regarded as a thief who has fooled and possibly ruined the lives of a lot of people by taking more of what is only needed in their money. However, it is merely among the human eyes that we view such a person as unforgiving. Jesus Christ is different. He saw that despite of Zacchaeus’ small figure, he had a big heart. A contrite heart that is ready change and accept Jesus as His Lord and saviour. Jesus saw what others cannot see and touched the heart of those who are untouchable. 

    

    God revealed Himself to us by sending His only begotten son on Earth to bring salvation. Jesus did not choose to live as a king but instead, he chose to live among the sinners. Like in the story of Zacchaeus, everyone in Jericho anticipated His arrival and yet He chose to stay in the house of a Zacchaeus, a man who was well known to have continuously done an unlawful act unto his neighbor. What struck me the most when Jesus had brought salvation in his house. This showed how truly merciful and forgiving God is. He saw how willing Zacchaeus is to undergo repentance through his change of heart and as a shepherd, Jesus knew that He had to herd him back to God by way of forgiveness. Moreover, Jesus is also a loving God because love comes with forgiveness. He loved and cared for us which is why He came to seek out and save what was lost. He knew how much we needed God in our lives but after distinguishing how ignorant we are, He continued to share the good news of the Lord in order to save us from sin. 

    In my experience, I also have encountered the time wherein I struggled in living with my faith. I had been greatly influenced by my friends who are unbelievers of Christ. Instead of becoming the good influence in them, I changed horribly. I became the kind of person who is always angry at what the world is constantly giving me. I encountered going to different fights with my friends and family. It has reached the point wherein my mom became sick of my actions which is why she told me to leave the house. She disowned me as her daughter. I cried and realized how big the hole in my heart is. I was lacking something and that is my faith in God. I became so selfish that I have forgotten about God. I forgot how to love. I came back to our church. I was lead to join the youth service and I repented. I learned to become a new person as I found joy in serving the church. Now, I have finally gotten my relationship back with both my mom and God. 

                If I were to compare myself to Zacchaeus, that is the time when I felt like a failure and that I cannot do anything because of my shortcomings. We all struggle in so many different ways and overcoming those struggles is never easy. Everyone feels helpless and alone when they are in the quicksand of a struggle, just as how I felt at that very moment when I thought I could not do anything about it. But at the end of the day, I asked for God’s guidance and there, I realized that there is no reason to give up and that I just have to keep going. Let those struggles of yours be an inspiration for you to pursue what has been started. Jesus is always there to guide us. No matter how many mistakes and sins we have done, Jesus is always willing to forgive us and let us feel that He loves us and that He cares for us.  What struck me the most in the video being watched is the part where Zacchaeus climbed up the sycamore tree just to see Jesus. Not being bothered by his shortcoming, he still looked for a way to see who Jesus is. Comparing it to my own experience, after being so frustrated in the struggle I have been facing, I still think of possible solutions for me to overcome such and being determined to do something I really look forward to. 

                In addition to that, the part after Jesus looked up at Zacchaeus and greeted him by calling out his name bring about Zacchaeus being surprised. It gave me the realization on how I should treat my friends and all the people around me the warmth welcome that I supposed to do because we, as a human person, should be considerate in other people’s feelings. We do not know every challenges they face in their everyday lives and treating them with respect and letting them feel that they belong would be such a great relief for each and every one of us. To sum it all up, I consider Jesus as the most caring, loving, and forgiving friend of us all. He is always there to stay by our side and He is always there to lift us all up.