Wee Little Man

Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.

  When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?"

Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, "Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the damages."
 Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."

-- Luke 19:1-10

I've always wondered about Zacchaeus.  The psychology behind his personality intrigues me.  Did he become a tax collector so he could feel 'higher' than the general population?  Is that how he got back at people who had maybe made fun of him his whole life for his abnormal height?  Although he was looked down on (in more ways than one), he was quite rich.  Did that take the sting out of being short in stature and short on relationships?  And just how short was he?  Are we talking Danny DeVito or Peter Dinklage? 

It's also interesting to me that Zacchaeus was ecstatic to have Jesus in his home.  Was it because Jesus was popular?  Was it because he'd met Jesus before and thought him amazing?  Was it because they'd had previous interactions?  Why was Zacchaeus so delighted to take Jesus home with him for a meal?

And how hateful that crowd was -- even to Zacchaeus' face.  How much did that hurt Zacchaeus?  Was this the first time he'd heard someone's real opinion of him? 

And what was that dinner with Jesus like?

I sometimes think about writing (or re-writing) the background of Bible characters.  I want the answers to these questions and on this side of heaven, my imagination might just have to fill in the blanks.