A Man Who Didn't Have Any Friends

                                    (From Luke 19 and The Jesus Storybook Bible)

There once was a man who did not have any friends. Why? He was a tax collector. And he made himself rich by stealing from the common people. Nobody liked him, with good reason. His name was Zacchaeus.
Jesus was passing through his town. Everyone wanted to see him. Zacchaeus wanted to see him, too. But he had a problem. He was very, very short. He couldn't see over everyone's heads. So, he climbed up a tree.
When Jesus approached in the crowd, he stopped. He looked up, right at Zacchaeus. He said, "I want to come to your house." Zacchaeus was shocked, but he hurried down the tree and brought Jesus to his home. He thought, "Jesus doesn't know me, doesn't know how I live."
But Jesus did know. And he loved Zacchaeus even so. Zacchaeus was ashamed, and, turning pale, said, "What I have done is wrong. I want to do the right thing and return people's money, even four times what I stole!" And he did.
Jesus smiled and said, "My friend, today God has rescued you!"
Jesus loved Zacchaeus when nobody else did. He showed people what God's faithful, never-giving-up love is like.

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Lord Jesus, how can you love people who steal and cheat others? Your love is wild and scandalous. How can you be a God who loves justice, and yet you love those who do wrong, people who everyone agrees are bad people? I'm confused. Please open my eyes. Show me your love. I want to know if you love me. Will you have words of love to speak to me even in the deepest places of my own shame that I cannot even face myself? Nobody I know can love me like that. You are what I want. And I want to learn to love like you love. Set me free from my shame and judgment of others.