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Jesus and Zacchaeus


Homily by Fr. Jerry Cusumano, SJ
St. Ignatius Church, Tokyo 



Today’s Gospel records the meeting of Jesus and a
tax collector named Zacchaeus. [Luke 19:1-10]

Background


In the passage immediately preceding today’s Gospel Luke records that Jesus healed a blind man on the outskirts of the city of Jericho. It seems that word about the healing spread rapidly, and a great crowd accompanied Jesus when he entered the city of Jericho. Zacchaeus, too, heard all the excitement and wanted to see the subject of it, Jesus, very much. However, because of his small stature he could not see through the crowd so he climbed up into a tree to get a better view.
Interpretation of Church Fathers


Several early fathers of the Church, Augustine and Cyril, interpreted this story in a symbolic way:

  1. Zacchaeus was short in stature = he was short on spirituality
  2. The crowd got in his way = his sins prevented him from seeing.
  3. He made a fool of himself by climbing a tree = he embraced Jesus’s cross

 

The Dialog between Jesus and Zacchaeus

However, I would like to focus on the dialog between Jesus and Zacchaeus, especially on what is not said. Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name but does not demand that he repent or feel sorry about anything. Rather he invites himself to his home and praises him simply for being an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham. Likewise, Zacchaeus does not say he repents or express feelings of guilt but rather speaks about the good works he will do in the future. However, the verb used here is actually in the present tense. Has Zacchaeus already been engaged in these good works? Is that why Jesus already knows his name? If this were true, then Jesus would be responding to the good works of Zacchaeus. However, the traditional rendering in the future tense seems to better express what is really happening: these good works will flow from Zacchaeus’s new relationship with Jesus. This new relationship incenses the crowd which before had been so much on Jesus’s side. Their anger is directed at Zacchaeus’s profession. The Romans used local people to collect their taxes. Many of these tax collectors were unscrupulous and collected more than necessary, giving the Romans their share but skimming off the rest for themselves. The crowd cannot bear seeing Jesus befriending one of these despised people.



Three Important Points

There are three major themes in this story.

  1. Sight: Just as the blind man wanted to see and was cured, so, too, Zacchaeus wanted to see and did see. Luke’s message is that all who wish to see Jesus can see him.
  2. Wealth: The previous chapter of Luke told of a rich young man who offered to follow Jesus, but then walked away when he was challenged to give up his wealth to follow Jesus. However, in the encounter of Jesus with Zacchaeus Luke presents a model for the wealthy and shows how they should use their wealth.
  3. Tax collectors: Luke has a special place in his heart for these people. When one of them is at prayer along with a Pharisee, it is the tax collector who is praised for genuine prayer (Lk, 18, 9-14). So also in chapter 15, Luke shows Jesus preaching to tax collectors when he records the parables of mercy and forgiveness, including the parable of the Prodigal Son.
     

A Personal Reflection

Let me conclude with a personal reflection. Today’s Gospel is just one more example of how Jesus refrains from giving the people he meets a “guilt trip.” With the poor, sick, the lower classes of society, and the so-called “sinners,” he is warm, accepting, and understanding. With those in high places in society and the so-called “righteous” he points out that their behavior does not match what they say they are or try to show others. However, in neither case does he lay a “guilt trip” on the people he encounters. I think that we, too, can do ourselves a favor by imitating Jesus on this point, both with regard to ourselves and others.
 

 

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