Thoughts Have Hands

Reading this parable as though Jesus or God is the strong ruler makes no sense when you consider the prophetic ministry of Jesus and his consistent preaching of good news to the poor. It requires an entirely different way of seeing this parable. If you read it along with the confession of repentance Zaccheus makes to Jesus and the crowds expectation of the kingdom of God arriving at any moment things take on a different tone. The king going after more power is Caesar and the Roman Empire and Zaccheus is the tax collector who refuses to do their dirty work any longer and of course he will suffer the consequences. The people need to know the Kingdom of God will not come because one or two people rebel against the empire. The Kingdom comes when all repent and seek justice refusing to leave anyone behind. THH