As I’m writing, my dog Charlie is looking at me through the window in the back door. There is something special in the heart and mind of a dog that fills them with love and completeness when they are with their loving master. Even when we’re doing something boring, like writing on a computer or watching something on any variety of electronic devices, they find contentment being close. I wonder if dogs consider a lot of people’s activities odd if not downright confusing. If he could, he would come up and put his head on my leg for a scratch and some loving human attention. But he can’t open doors, so he gets the best spot he can to try and see his human, sits patiently, and wonders if I’ll notice him and come to him. In the beauty of a loyal dog’s love, he just wants basic human affection and kindness.

In the Gospel of Luke, a man who is considered an outsider of the faith climbs a large sycamore-fig tree so he can see Jesus as he comes into Jericho. Even though he is Jewish, he is a Roman tax collector and likely hasn’t been to worship in years. The religious leaders would consider him to be spiritually unclean. But he is drawn to this man Jesus, a renowned traveling prophet. He is so intrigued that he climbs the tree just to get a look at him. Even without understanding who this man was, he could see what he thought he needed and it had something to do with Jesus. But with the large crowd and being declared unclean, he harbored no thoughts of talking to Jesus. Then the unlikely happened and his life changed forever.

The Gospel of Mark tells another story of Jesus in Jericho. This time, Jesus is leaving the city and a blind beggar is searching for Jesus, but he too is also considered too unclean to talk to a holy prophet like Jesus. He also has a large crowd between him and the man his soul is calling him to. The stories are similar but different. They may not know it, but they both want the mercy of basic human kindness. What they do not know is that the source of this love and kindness is truly of God.

Two well-known Gospel stories with much to offer us as we all climb the tree of faith.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick