When I was a boy my father was the tallest and strongest man I knew.

If you wanted something moving you came and asked my father.

Before I was born my father had a party because my mum was going to have a baby.

He told people that his blacksmith shop was going to make our family lots of money.

The people told him to be careful and not to make too many plans

 as lots of children die when they are born.

 When I was born I nearly died.

 It was only because our nurse is so very good that I am alive today.

 The first time my dad held me as a baby he cried.

 My auntie Miriam said it was the only time she  saw him cry.

 He cried because I was so small and I had something wrong with my lip

so that  when I was bigger I wouldn’t be able to speak properly.

 In those days people believed it was something my father had done for God

to have let me be born like that. My father found he couldn’t talk to me or look at me.

He just worked very hard. Sometimes when he thought I wasn’t looking he would stare at me.

 If I looked at him he would turn away.

 When I was about seven I heard people telling him to let me go on the streets

and beg as I would not be able to earn any money working.

I always had something to eat as my father worked so hard.

 My father never asked me to work with him as I was so small

and as you  can see I can’t lift heavy things.

I am good at adding up and remembering things though.

Whenever my mum had lost something she  always asked me where to find it.

                            When I was about ten some of the other kids started to make fun at me

because I couldn’t say my words properly.

One day I couldn’t stand it any more, the biggest lad of my age was

                            called David. He started calling me names at the street corner.

The other kids were laughing.

 I went over and started hitting him.

                            My mum said that David’s mum ran into our house and said

           “Come and stop your Zacchaeus he is hitting our David and he is going to kill him”.

My mum thought it was a joke and said

            “Don’t be daft, your David’s four times bigger. Zacchaeus couldn’t harm a fly.”

                            When mum came down David was crying and covered in blood.

“Look what your son has done” said David’s dad.

             My mum told me to come away and told David’s mum and Dad it must have

                            been David who started it.

                            Two years later my father died. My uncle said he would let mum live at their house,

but I couldn’t live there. He said I could keep my father’s house and shop,

but he didn’t think that the shop would be any good to me.

                  At the funeral the new man to our area said he would buy the house and shop

        from me. I said yes. Later I found out his name, it was Shem.

                            Now I had some money but nowhere to live, no friends,

no way of getting any more money.

               I saw the notice, “Need a job. Good at counting money.

You can earn 500 denarii a week.

      No experience necessary. No heavy lifting.”

 I got the position as a tax collector.

I got my own house. I got my own servants.

                         I had lots of money to buy things from the Romans that nobody else had.

I had the money my father always wanted.

 Before I got the position I had no friends and everybody felt sorry for me.

                         After I got the position I had no friends and everybody hated me because of what I did.

              Even the Romans didn’t like me.

           One very hot day, I had loads of people to see.

They were all in a line waiting.

  The usual noise was heard.

        People were telling me all sorts of stories.

Then there was a hush.

  Most people were staring at the floor.

                    I realised it was because a group of men had joined the people.

                         The soldiers next to me started moving from foot to foot.

                            The people let what seemed to be the leader of these men come to the front.

                      I was writing. I couldn’t look up. “Next” I shouted a lot louder than I wanted.

                     A rough hand put 4 coins on the table in front of me. “Jesus from Nazareth”

said a very polite voice. I couldn’t look up.

                            There was a lot of whispering behind him. The soldiers seemed to relax.

 The rest of the day I kept making mistakes. I never make mistakes.

 I just kept seeing this man’s very worn sandals. I never looked at his face,

but saw his back as he walked away. What was it about this man?

Why was everybody whispering?

 I couldn’t sleep that night. I paced on my roof. I kept hearing this man’s voice.

I saw the face of a little girl who had come with her dad to pay his taxes.

 On the way home I nearly gave some money to a beggar. I could see her face.

 What is happening to me?

 Next day somebody told the people that this man Jesus was coming up the hill.

Everybody rushed off and said they would come back.

 Jesus seems to be on their minds too.

I followed and the soldiers came with me.

Everybody would know I was there because of the soldiers.

I told the soldiers to stay at the street corner out of sight.

They weren’t very happy.

 I saw a tree with some branches and thick leaves.

 I climbed it.

Nobody can see me.

Jesus came up the road with the crowd. Good he’s stopped by my tree.

I’ll be able to hear what all then fuss is about.

“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

I nearly fell out of the tree but managed to climb down and looked into his face.

 His eyes welcomed me. I somehow knew  what all the fuss was about.

 I had a feeling and I knew that what he said could be trusted.

 There were quite a few people at my house that night.

The time passed very quickly. I remember people laughing.

Afterwards, when I thought about it I realised why I felt so good.

I was treated the same as everybody else.

The first time in my life.

 Jesus treats everybody the same no matter who they are.

Pharisees, lame, Sadducees, blind, Zealots, publicans, lepers, Samaritans, deaf, women,

 in fact anybody who simply believes, all are treated the same.