So often what we see depends on our perspective, our point of view, our frame of reference. When I am up at our cabin watching our golden retriever chase chipmunks, I am often surprised to observe that the dog fails to see a chipmunk when it runs from one hiding place to another. How could he miss that, I think, when it is so obvious to me? Then I remember that my perspective is different from his. I am very much taller than he is, so I can see things that he misses because little bushes or sticks or plants block his vision. I'm looking down, while he is looking much-more horizontally. Perspective matters. We experience something similar when we're stuck in a crowd. We want to know what's going on, why there's a hold-up, but our perspective is limited. If we were 10 feet tall and could see from a different angle, we might be able to figure out what is happening, but as it is all we can see is the back of other folks' heads. We're stuck following the crowd, going where they are going. If we want to break free, make our own choices, do something different from the rest, we need to find some place where we can get a different viewpoint. Zacchaeus found himself in that kind of situation with respect to seeing Jesus, as Luke tells the story in today's Gospel (Lk 19: 1-10). Zacchaeus was short, and the crowds were large, so he knew that unless he did something radical, something out of character, something risky, he wouldn't be able to see Jesus. That would mean that he wouldn't be able to make his own assessment of the prophet and teacher who was passing by, and would have to rely on the crowd's assessment, something he knew not to trust. So he runs ahead-- not something a dignified person would have done-- and, gasp, climbs a tree. Quite a shocking thing for a chief tax collector to do! It would probably take him years to live it down. But the reward was that Zacchaeus actually saw Jesus, and had a moment of connection that undoubtedly changed his life. Zacchaeus immediately promises to give away half of his possessions to the poor, and to make four-fold reimbursement for anyone from whom he has extorted anything. The parallel to our situation is obvious. We also need to get some perspective, to get out of the crowd, to have a better point of view if we're going to see Jesus. If we don't, if we just go with the flow, if we can't escape the crowd, we will have a hard time connecting with Christ. We won't truly see Jesus. We'll be captive of what others say and be dependent on their perspective, their analysis, their opinions. We might ask ourselves what we need to do to be like Zacchaeus. Where can we get a better perspective? How can we come to see Jesus more clearly? What will we have to do to get some distance from the crowd? Zacchaeus took some risks. Will we do the same?