Elders

Jack, here is my ideas for Zaccheus he has quite a back story. He is the chief tax collector of Jericho  that overtaxed people. He owns the town. Jesus preaches to him and basically speaks his life. It's the abide lesson. With the parable of the one denari. Gives him idea. He is rich there and basically ends up owning the town of Jericho. 

He become slimy but generous. keeps to himself shattered at what he done, overtaxing and ruling over the town at the gate and by investments where he hangs out at his booth. He hosts a banquet and no one shows up. He hosts it again, no one show up. He repents. He is desperate to gain his reputation back. The last time he is pruning and praying for the banquet. He is a pruner that is starving trying to make enough extra money to pay back what he overtaxed, he plans a banquet after he repents by Jesus's abide Making extra money for he wants to repent of his over taxation. Jesus curses the fig tree because it won't make fruit after he wants to repent. You can do a expo. "Pruning vines for grapes is different than pruning fig tree which can be scratchy and hard to live with in these times." "Some branches go to the light the wrong way and weigh down the branches they are supported by rub other branches and cause diseases for the tree by dead branches." When Jesus says he is the way the truth the light.Have Matthew say I want to be the way the truth and the light say I don't think it works that way. Then have God say get behind me Satan. Something like that.