Up a Tree!

The Gospel this Sunday is the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus from Luke. (chapter 19, verses 1-10)

Children love the story of Zacchaeus: a grown man, sitting in a tree! They can identify with his struggle to see over a crowd, and are delighted that Jesus would pick him to spend time with. As adults, we often read this as an example of conversion, as evidenced by the closing words of Jesus in the passage. And as a conversion story, it is a good and powerful one: our encounter with Jesus evokes a self-assessment that hopefully leads to a change for the better in how we live our lives.

You could take some time this week to read and talk about the story together. From the book 70 Sacrament Starters for Children by Patricia Mathson, here are some great questions to encourage a conversation about this Gospel story:

• What job did Zacchaeus have?
• Why did he climb a tree?
• What did Jesus say to him?
• Why did the people in the crowd grumble?
• What did Zacchaeus say to Jesus?
• How can we make up for the harm we cause?
• Why should our lives change because of Jesus?