Rosanne Wijnsma.
Jesus entered the Netherlands and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Glenn; he was queer. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Glenn, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Glenn stood up and said to the Lord, “Lord, You have seen me and I believe You are my savior!”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this person, too, is a child of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
We all know this story, it is the story of Zacchaeus in the gospel of Luke. And it is just as much a story about Glenn, and you and me. Glenn wants to see who Jesus is, but the crowd is blocking his vision. How many times do we find a crowd blocking our vision of Jesus? It could be your family, your peers, your friends, colleagues, church, or the immense crowd on social media. They tell you what you should believe, and it is hard to discern what Jesus tells you.
Maybe you believe it is best to not come out, because the crowd will disapprove when they see who you really are. Just like the people in Glenns Story started to call him a sinner. Maybe you believe that God will disapprove. But Glenn acts very wise: he finds a place away from the crowd. A place where he can see Jesus.
To what place do you go when you want to see Jesus? Nature? a chapel? a retreat? Or your own room, away from the crowd? And there you could just as well hear the voice of Jesus saying: “Come down, come out, come into the light, I must be with you. You are a child of God!”
