“For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

If a good name is priceless, what’s a bad name worth? Say, a name like that of Zacchaeus, the reviled publican.

What if I told you that in some quarters both names are worth 6.5¢. Hard to believe? Well, that’s what direct mailers will pay for a label with your name on it. And anyone else’s name on it, give or take a penny or two.

All of us have been subjected to the kind of labeling or profiling that Zacchaeus experienced, in his case just because he was a publican - - a tax collector. In our case, it might be due to the color of our skin, the way we talk, the way we dress or where we live. Many an African-American has been pulled over by a patrol car for “driving while black,” a classic example of profiling. 

In the 19th century, French scholars actually labeled people according to the shape of their head, claiming it was an indicator of their character and intelligence.

Today, corporations spend billions of dollars per year to label us in databases that compile information from public and commercial sources. They record details such as our name, address, religion, age, sex, marital status, voting record, shopping patterns, clothing size and health purchases. They know what books we read, what concerts we attend, our credit rating and employment status. They sort their databases into sub-categories and given them labels such as Upstarts, Homesteaders, Affluentials and Seniors, to name just a few.

Once the categories have been labeled, the lists are rented to other marketers. Here, for instance, is how one list broker markets the names of Christians:

“People in this group tend to be more conservative, respond well to charities, and respond well to products and services that promote family values and unity. The Christian market also represents a large part of the home schooling market, and responds well to educational products and services of all types.”

That label may or may not describe you. But it certainly doesn’t define you. You may be a conservative or a liberal. You may be a Republican, Democrat or Independent. But so long as you’re labeled as a “Christian,” you’re lumped together with everyone else. To add insult to injury, the cost of renting your name is a mere 6.5¢. And, good luck trying to get your name off all those mailing lists.

If being labeled in this way makes you feel uncomfortable, that’s how it should be. All labels are suspect. Lucky for us, Jesus is slow to apply them, quick to peel them off.

On arriving in Jericho, He went straight to the house of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. His disciples grumbled, “He is gone in to lodge with a man that is a sinner.”

At some point, the critics may have been right. In his role as tax collector, Zacchaeus had grown wealthy as an agent of the hated Roman conquerors. But, apparently, a change of heart had come over Zacchaeus and the label no longer fit. He now gave half his goods to the poor and made restitution to any he had cheated by repaying them fourfold. Here was a wealthy man unencumbered by the desire for more riches.

Word of Zacchaeus’ conversion may have reached Jesus because He called the tax collector by name. In fact, Jesus must have been eager to hear Zacchaeus’ story first hand because He immediately invited Himself to dinner at the man’s  house. In so doing, Jesus risked being labeled as just another sinner. But He reached out to this newest disciple because “. . . the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus doesn’t have to rely on labels to identify His followers. Neither do we. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,” He said, “if ye have love one to another.”