july: the story of zacchaeus
Look Closer:
The story of Zacchaeus is fun. Kids are drawn to it - perhaps partly because it has a few elements they identify with, like being short, climbing trees, and being ordered to come down from the tree. At its heart, this is a story of redemption, of Jesus calling a man back to be his best self and to be restored to his community. Children can probably also relate to that - to (hopefully nurturing) others helping them become their best selves and making things right when they have done wrong.
Spiral Deeper:
The story of Zacchaeus is fun. Kids are drawn to it - perhaps partly because it has a few elements they identify with, like being short, climbing trees, and being ordered to come down from the tree. At its heart, this is a story of redemption, of Jesus calling a man back to be his best self and to be restored to his community. Children can probably also relate to that - to (hopefully nurturing) others helping them become their best selves and making things right when they have done wrong.
Spiral Deeper:
- Zacchaeus was a tax collector. Basically, he was a member of the Jewish community who went to work for the occupiers. His pay for the work he did came through extortion - through making people pay more than they owed. He would have been seen as a traitor.
- Zacchaeus was apparently short. Some scholars think this may have meant short of maturity and character, not just stature.
- Zacchaeus had wealth and stability. So why did he climb that tree? What did he want that he didn’t already have? Did he get it?
- Look at the words in this passage - notice the urgency to many of them.
- Jewish law required restitution - that Zacchaeus pay back what he owed, plus an additional ⅕. Notice what Zacchaeus promises to pay back.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Pray It
God, sometimes we’re like Zacchaeus, climbing and scrambling to be the best and have the most. Help us remember what’s most important. Call us back to you. Amen.
God, sometimes we’re like Zacchaeus, climbing and scrambling to be the best and have the most. Help us remember what’s most important. Call us back to you. Amen.
Do It
- Climb a tree! How does the world look different? What do you see?
- Build the story with Legos or blocks and tell it together.
- If you have older children, think about the concept of restitution. Is there restitution you as a household could make?
- Jesus invited himself over to Zacchaeus’s house. If you’re feeling brave, stop by someone’s house for a spontaneous visit.
Explore It: Notes from Tami
I like to think of discipline as discipling. How does God disciple us? How does God call us back to being our best selves and restore us to God’s community? How can we disciple and do this with our children? We can learn from Zacchaeus' offer to make restitution for his wrong actions. We need to do so also. And we want to help our children learn through their mistaken actions.
How do we respond to children's misbehavior? As a starting point, let’s view their actions as mistaken behavior rather than misbehavior and our guidance/discipline as discipling - teaching and training. I want to focus on 2 concepts of discipline: 1. Restitution 2. Consequences. They are different, but both are more valuable responses to children’s mistaken behaviors than is punishment.
RESTITUTION is a disciplinary action intended to teach children that when they behave inappropriately it is their responsibility to repair the harm. This helps in their personal growth to make better decisions and correct mistakes. Restitution involves performing some service that corrects or makes amends for undesirable behavior. (Taken from U of NE Student Engagement Project)
Brainstorm together what restitution means for a child. Examples of behaviors: Dump cereal on floor; accidentally or purposefully break a sibling’s toy; unroll a whole tube of toilet paper (Yes, that one happened with a 3 year-old in our family - and rolling it back on was a lot more work requiring assistance from mom!); hit a child; Most families can come up with plenty of things that someone did that we can make restitution for! And then, explore what the child (or adult) can do to make things right.
CONSEQUENCES are another valuable way to teach children accountability for their behaviors. We respect their dignity when we give them the message that the behavior, not the child, is the problem. This contrasts with punishment which comes from a place of emotion and a need to maintain control and often brings shame to the child. It is important to relate the logical consequences to their behavior in a way that your child understands. We should state the behavior and consequence as a matter-of-fact rather than as a threat.
I like to think of discipline as discipling. How does God disciple us? How does God call us back to being our best selves and restore us to God’s community? How can we disciple and do this with our children? We can learn from Zacchaeus' offer to make restitution for his wrong actions. We need to do so also. And we want to help our children learn through their mistaken actions.
How do we respond to children's misbehavior? As a starting point, let’s view their actions as mistaken behavior rather than misbehavior and our guidance/discipline as discipling - teaching and training. I want to focus on 2 concepts of discipline: 1. Restitution 2. Consequences. They are different, but both are more valuable responses to children’s mistaken behaviors than is punishment.
RESTITUTION is a disciplinary action intended to teach children that when they behave inappropriately it is their responsibility to repair the harm. This helps in their personal growth to make better decisions and correct mistakes. Restitution involves performing some service that corrects or makes amends for undesirable behavior. (Taken from U of NE Student Engagement Project)
Brainstorm together what restitution means for a child. Examples of behaviors: Dump cereal on floor; accidentally or purposefully break a sibling’s toy; unroll a whole tube of toilet paper (Yes, that one happened with a 3 year-old in our family - and rolling it back on was a lot more work requiring assistance from mom!); hit a child; Most families can come up with plenty of things that someone did that we can make restitution for! And then, explore what the child (or adult) can do to make things right.
- Meddling Through Mayhem provides some good examples of restitution situations in families.
- Classroom Management/Restitution While this article is written about working with older children in a school setting, the concepts and guidelines are valid for at home and with all ages.
CONSEQUENCES are another valuable way to teach children accountability for their behaviors. We respect their dignity when we give them the message that the behavior, not the child, is the problem. This contrasts with punishment which comes from a place of emotion and a need to maintain control and often brings shame to the child. It is important to relate the logical consequences to their behavior in a way that your child understands. We should state the behavior and consequence as a matter-of-fact rather than as a threat.
- Positive Parenting; Using Natural and Logical Consequences provides good guidelines.
- This youtube clip might be helpful in teaching your child about consequences: Teach Your Dragon to Understand Consequences by Steve Herman / A book about Choices and Consequences
