This I Know, Part 2 | "Jesus and the Tax Man"

We love slapping labels on ourselves and others. The problem is: that labels are lazy - not loving. They allow safe distance and require no effort on our part. We create lines to define how people participate in society, shaping the way we see and interact with one another. The lines we draw to preserve our way and exclude others, Jesus keeps erasing. We witness this in the story of Zacchaeus. Jesus looked up, noticed the tax collector in a tree, and called him by name. He crashed the party and made Himself at home. It's Christ's love that compels us to pursue and include. There is dignity in being named. Names humanize while stories foster understanding. The "other" is a person with a name and a story - someone loved by and made for God. When generalizations become personal, the only path to take is a relationship.