Loneliness is everywhere now. An older neighbor who never gets visitors. A new mom at home all day. A man who moved for work and knows nobody. They may smile and say they are fine.
There is a story about a lonely man that shows what helps.
The man in the tree
Jesus was passing through the city of Jericho. A man named Zacchaeus lived there. He was the chief tax collector, which meant he collected money for the Romans who ruled the land. He was rich, and almost everyone hated him.
Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. But he was short, and the crowd would not let him through. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree by the road.
Jesus stopped
The Gospel of Luke, one of the four accounts of Jesus's life, tells us what happened when Jesus reached that spot.
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
Luke 19:5 · King James VersionThe original Greek
καὶ ὡς ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, ἀναβλέψας ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν· Ζακχαῖε, σπεύσας κατάβηθι, σήμερον γὰρ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου δεῖ με μεῖναι.
Found in Codex Vaticanus (about AD 325), Codex Sinaiticus (about AD 350).
He used his name. In front of everyone, he said he wanted to stay at this man's house. Zacchaeus hurried down, so happy that he welcomed Jesus home.
The crowd grumbled. But Zacchaeus was changed. He promised to give half of what he owned to the poor and to pay back anyone he had cheated four times over. Nobody had lectured him. Somebody had just wanted to be with him.
Ways to help
Notice them. The person sitting alone at church, the neighbor whose curtains never open. Loneliness is easy to walk past.
Use their name. It sounds small. It tells someone they are known.
Invite them to something ordinary. Dinner, a walk, a ballgame. Ordinary is less scary than formal.
Be regular. A weekly call or visit matters more than one big gesture.
Ask them for help too. Lonely people often feel useless. Asking for their recipe or their advice says they still matter.
It starts with stopping
Jesus could have walked right under that tree. He looked up instead. If someone came to your mind while you read this, that might be your tree. A text today is a good place to start.