In his book, What it Means to be Human: The Case for the Body in Public Bioethics, O. Carter Snead, Director of de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, reminds us that “vulnerability, mutual dependence, and natural limits are inextricable features of our lived human reality.”

He convincingly argues that the fullness of lived human reality requires that we reject society’s emphasis on individualism and care for one another without expectation. With this message in mind, the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector, comes into focus for me.

How often have I been like one of the members of the crowd, bemoaning the special treatment Jesus showed Zacchaeus—someone of ill repute who took advantage of others? How often have I grumbled about a perceived inequity—that someone I felt was less deserving than me, less hard-working, was granted recognition? How often have I, consumed with myself, focused on the mistakes and wrongdoing of others?

It is easy to become devoured by self-absorption, focused on the individual and not on the mutual dependence of humanity. In those moments, I fail to recognize that I, too, am a sinner like Zacchaeus.

Instead of spending so much time mumbling, preoccupied with my perceived incremental betterness than Zacchaeus, I should have been climbing the tree to get a better look at Jesus, to ask Jesus for forgiveness for my transgressions. And there are many.

God reminds us through the story of Zacchaeus that all of us are worth saving, not just those deemed by society to be worthy. All of us must open ourselves to God—to stop comparing ourselves against others—and instead, make the good of others our own. Through God’s grace, we may find the courage to act as Zacchaeus.

May we all be reminded that, as Christians, we are not called to champion ourselves; we are called to serve others. Thank you, Professor Snead and Zacchaeus, for that reminder.