Luke 19:1–10 ESV – Bible Gateway
John Bergsma gives us the context to this Gospel story, which is another one unique to Luke:
This week we come to the end of the “travel narrative” (Luke 9–19), as Jesus is now in Jericho and next week will be in Jerusalem itself. It has been a long journey, but we have learned much by following the rabbi from Nazareth.[1]
In verse 3, a lot is going on here. We have already seen the odium in how the Israelites saw Tax Collectors, and for the most part, this view was rightly considered. Still, even our biases that are grounded in the reality of experience must be reexamined when we move the general to the person. It must have been astonishing for all those following Jesus how often Tax Collectors and Samaritans were brought up and how their actions were shown in a positive light. Here we find that Zacchaeus was a Tax Collector and a “Chief” one. There is also another interesting aspect that Brant Pitre draws out.
Now Zacchaeus is a Greek name, Zakchaios. It’s from the Hebrew Zakkai, which ironically, Zakkai in Hebrew means clean or innocent.[2]
And also that:
Number one: notice where this encounter takes place. It takes place near the city of Jericho, which was a border town in Judea, and being on the border, was probably also a toll center. In other words, it would have been a place where taxes would be collected on people coming into the country or bringing in goods and products from other lands.[2]
We find that Zacchaeus is seeking Jesus and is willing to go to some lengths to satisfy what must have been more than just curiosity. He is short in stature and climbs a small tree, the Sycamore.
(St. Augustine) Say what you like, but for our part, let us climb the sycamore tree and see Jesus. The reason you cannot see Jesus is that you are ashamed to climb the sycamore tree. Let Zacchaeus grasp the sycamore tree, and let the humble person climb the cross. That is little enough, merely to climb it. We must not be ashamed of the cross of Christ, but we must fix it on our forehead, where the seat of shame is. Above where all our blushes show is the place we must firmly fix that for which we should never blush.”[3]
There seems to be some aspect of him humbling himself by doing this. However, in this moment of time, Zacchaeus’ motives were likely mixed, as Peter Kreeft points out:
Why did he want to see Jesus? Probably, he had mixed motives. One was just curiosity, and perhaps also the thought that he could somehow profit from this prophet. But another motive was moving him to repent, to give up his life of crime, to become this man’s disciple, to turn back to the way of righteousness that was the essence of the Jewish tradition, beginning with Abraham, centering on the Law given to Moses, carried along by many divinely sent and inspired prophets.[4]
I also like what Kreeft and other commenters have pointed out about this meeting:
The meeting between Jesus and Zacchaeus was not by chance. It was planned—on both sides.[4]
Jesus does an astounding thing here. He not only calls Zacchaeus by name but invites himself to stay at his house. I do have to wonder what is going through the tax collector’s mind at this point. Jesus not only knows who he is but is willing to enter into a relationship with him. He is moved to accept this invitation, and he does so joyfully. Brant Pitre amplifies what this means: “… eating with someone in antiquity (as today) was a sign of communion. Not in the sense of Eucharistic communion, but in the sense of a relationship.” [2]
“He chooses a chief tax collector: who can despair when such a man obtains grace?” (St Ambrose, Expositio Evangelii sec. Lucam, in loc.).
There seems to be such a drastic change in Zacchaeus as he openly repents his past actions and wants to make restitution for them. These moments of conversion are not just a change of feeling in the circumstances. They build up over time. It is often the case that we do not even know ourselves and what is happening inside us. That grace is already strengthening us and pulling us to this moment in time and after that.
Jesus not only sees him as who he is but who he can be through grace. This act of human kindness broke through to him, especially considering how fellow Israelites would have treated him. We find out also that Zacchaeus, in his act of restitution, knew the scriptures well:
“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. He shall make restitution…” (Exodus 22:1–2)
There is more than just restitution going on here.
… in Jewish tradition, almsgiving is actually known as tzedakah—righteousness. Fascinating. So to give to the poor was so quintessentially considered a righteous act, that the very act of almsgiving itself is called tzedakah, righteousness. So what is Zacchaeus doing? He is opening his hand to the poor. He’s going to give half of his goods to the poor, and thereby he’s engaging in an act of tzedakah, righteousness.[2]
Jesus’ response to both Zacchaeus and those who disapproved of Jesus’ action was to say: “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.”
Brant Pitre dives into another level of Jesus’ words:
I think it’s almost a kind of double entendre, a kind of play on words—multiple meanings. Because when Jesus says “salvation has come to this house today,” it’s interesting that He says that in the context of He, Himself coming to Zacchaeus’ house. “Zacchaeus”—what does he say earlier? “I must stay at your house today.” So does Luke mean that salvation has come to Zacchaeus’ house because Zacchaeus has repented or because Jesus has come to his house? And the answer is both. The reason he has repented is precisely because Jesus has come into his home and obviously into his heart as well.[2]
I also wonder what the Roman authorities must have thought about their tax collectors leaving their job, and that one of them even became an Apostle of Jesus. How much was this a disruption for them, or were they quickly able to replace them with those willing to take their place because they saw this as an opportunity toward riches?
Bishop Barron provides a good summary of this Gospel text:
Notice in the story of Zacchaeus how quickly God responds to any sign of faith. Zacchaeus’ climbing the sycamore tree shows he had more than a passing interest in seeing Jesus. He had a deep hunger of the spirit. His principal virtue was his willingness to go to great extremes.
This is what we do when we know that something of tremendous moment is at stake. When our health is endangered, we move, we act; when our job is threatened, we go to almost any extreme to keep it.
When Jesus spotted him he said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” God responds to us readily when we show the least interest in him. He doesn’t play hard to get; he is not coy with us. When we seek him, he responds, because loving us is his entire game.
Finally, notice how Jesus tells Zacchaeus to hurry. It’s a good spiritual principle: don’t wait, don’t hesitate. Seize the moment of conversion when it comes.[5]
Sources
- The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year C – John Bergsma
- Catholic Productions, Commentaries by Brant Pitre
- Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Year C
- The Word on Fire Bible (Volume 1)꞉ The Gospels
- Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
- The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year C, John Bergsma, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time ↩
- Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, The Thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C ↩
- Augustine, Sermon 174.3; trans. in A. Just, Jr., Luke, 290 ↩
- Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Year C, Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time ↩
- The Word on Fire Bible (Volume 1)꞉ The Gospels ↩
