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Don’t Forget That Jesus Spent Time With the Privileged and the Powerful Too!
An Important Lesson in Bridge-Building
Much has been made of the fact that Jesus spent a significant amount of time with those who were poor, sick, needy, and marginalized. In this, he is truly an example to us all.
What is often overlooked is that Jesus also spent time with the privileged and the powerful. He visited and conversed with religious leaders, scholars, tax collectors, and military leaders. Somehow, these conversations are downplayed or even ignored.
The fact that someone might be perceived as a sinner didn’t stop Jesus from investing time in that person. That was the case whether the person in question was a prostitute or a tax collector.
Let that sink in.
Jesus spent time with the powerful and the privileged — even the corrupt.
In the Gospel of Luke, we read of Jesus making time for a tax collector. It was scandalous then. For some, it’s still scandalous today.
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed…
