Thursday, November 21, 2024  

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Today's Scripture
Luke 19:1–10

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (NRSV)

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Reflection

In Jesus’ day, being a tax collector, especially a chief tax collector, meant having money and power. It’s not hard to imagine Zacchaeus occasionally — or even constantly — looking down on others, so when Jesus calls him down from the tree, it’s literal, but the metaphor is also evident. Zacchaeus is humbled and pledges to do better. Those grumbling in the crowd are also humbled, or at least should have been, when Jesus reminds them why he came in the first place and that they are all Abraham’s children.

Humility. It took me until well into my thirties to understand that being humble can be a sign of strength. I recoiled at criticism and did everything I could to avoid constructive feedback from my managers. Several years ago, I was fortunate to have a manager who was confident and had high expectations but was also humble. He was quick to own when he could have handled something better and encouraged me to push or challenge his thinking. Surprisingly (to me at the time), his humility only enhanced my respect for him.

A couple of years ago, in an effort to ensure all team members were being held to the same expectations, I instituted some policy changes to the way my team operates. They were not received well and, in hindsight, for good reason. A few months later at our team retreat, a question was asked about how that situation was handled. After a long attempt at an answer from my manager, I interjected to say simply “We messed up.” It was a moment of huge personal growth for me to admit that. It led to a much-needed clear-the-air conversation and ultimately resulted in increased trust and respect on the team. That one positive (and very public) experience with being humble has continued to encourage me to lead with humility.

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Prayer
For all the ways you remind and encourage me to be humble, I thank you, Lord. Amen.

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Written by Nicole Spirgen, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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