Children

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Zack hated being short. At school he was always the "shrimp." Big kids teased him, younger kids made fun of him, and everyone put him down. Just by being tall.

With no growth spurt in sight, Zack took advantage of his small size. Picking pockets was a piece of cake for him. As were practical jokes. Putting gum on kids' chairs, frogs in teachers' desks, and moldy oranges in strategic places to be stepped on were his calling cards. But he always managed to pin the blame on some "innocent" terrorist.

Watching others suffer made Zack feel taller somehow, as if he wasn't the only one who got the "short end" of the stick. Yet it never made anyone look up to him. Because he was short. Short, short, short. And he hated it.

To make himself taller, Zack climbed trees. And hid in them too. His favorite was an apple on the side of the road. From his perch he would lob rotten fruit at unsuspecting bicyclists, causing many bumps and bruises. Amazingly, he was so quick and so well concealed that he never got caught. But in his heart he was miserable because he knew he'd been a slime ball.

Every day his mom prayed that her son would give his life to Christ before he got in trouble. She had a feeling he was hiding something from her. But what?

One day in answer to her prayer, Jesus came to town. When Zack heard of it, he got really scared. "What if he sees me?" he thought to himself. "He'll probably tell me I'm going to hell for all those mean tricks I played on people, all that money I stole, all the lies I told, and that cigarette I smoked behind the garage when no one was looking. He knows everything I ever did, and that's really scary. All the same, I'd like to get a peek at him. But how?"

Not knowing what to do, Zack did the usual. He climbed a tree. It was full of leaves and provided lots of cover for a boy his size. He peered through the branches.

Meanwhile his mom was praying, "Lord, I know that pride comes before a fall, but I beg you, knock some sense into that boy."

In the meantime Zack concealed himself behind the leaves, half longing for, half dreading the approach.

Oh no! It was Jesus! He'd recognize the man anywhere.

I hope he sees me. No, I don't. Let me see him, but not the other way around. I'm too ashamed. He knows every dirty deed I've ever done.

He pulled the branches close to hide his nakedness.

Maybe he won't notice if I shrink into the bark. Help me blend in, trunk. Become invisible. I've never felt so small. Uh-oh. He's closer now. Please don't see me. Please, please, please.

"Hey, Zack!" cried Jesus.

"Wha...?" gasped Zack. He lost his balance, slipped, and fell like lightning from 'heaven,' landing with a big bang (thus shedding new light on the universal origin of the 'big bang' theory).

The wind got knocked out of him. He gasped for air and struggled to his feet.

This is terrible. My nerves are shot. Have I broken any bones? Don't think so. But even if I haven't, it's all over. I've fallen short of the glory of God - way short. And there's Jesus towering over me. Smiling.

Behind the Master stood a crowd of boys and girls with raised eyebrows and smirks on their faces. That said it all. Busted.

So you've caught me. Go ahead. Rub it in.

"Great news, Zack!" shouted Jesus. "I'm eating dinner at your house today"!

"What? My house?"

My room's a mess. Oh no!

"Yes. Yours. Your mom invited me. If that's all right with you."

Jesus looked at Zack with eyes that saw the good, the bad, and the ugly, but loved the rotten apple anyway, decay and all. At that moment something changed within Zack. He felt the rottenness leave his heart. He was on cloud nine!

Jesus brought him back to earth with an "Ahem!"

"Huh?"

"Will you let me eat with you or not?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, sure," replied Zack. "Come on." And so they walked to his house, where his mother was busy preparing a seven-course dinner in Jesus' honor. To celebrate, she had invited all of Zack's classmates (and a few of his teachers too).

The dinner was a smashing success. The best time Zack had ever had. It made him think. And think. And think.

When everyone had eaten their fill, Zack's mother got ready to clear the table. (With more than fifty guests, there was a ton of dirty dishes, which she had to wash inside and out). With gritted teeth, she prepared for another round of "dishpan hands." But before she picked up the first plate, Zack suddenly exclaimed, "You're not doing the dishes. I am!"

His mother fainted. Jesus raised her up.

Time for announcement number two.

"As for the rest of you," said Zack, "I'm sorry for all those rotten apples. And for making you guys take the blame for tricks I pulled. I've stolen lots of stuff too. Recognize any of these things?"

He walked into his room and opened the door to his closet. A huge array of toys, pencils, hats, gloves, and other items spilled out.

His classmates spent the next hour sorting through the pile of "lost and found." Every so often there would be a cry of "So that's what happened to my yoyo!" or "The mystery of the missing scarf is solved!" or "I knew I did that paper!"

While the joyous reunion was taking place, Zack's father helped him clear the table and wash the dishes. Two hours later every bowl, plate, cup, and piece of silverware was sparkling.

This time Jesus had an announcement, for which all remaining guests reassembled in the dining room to hear.

"Truly Zack," he told them all, "is a son of Abraham, full of faith that shows itself through works. His is a radical faith, a mountain-moving faith, the sort of faith that makes even a midget ten feet tall."

Scriptures: Luke 19:1-9; Revelation 3:20

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