Zacchaeus and Jesus: Just but Condemned

Today’s Gospel brings to a conclusion the journey that began in chapter nine of St. Luke’s Gospel.  Jesus has reached Jericho, a city that lies at the base of the mountain on which Jerusalem is built.  In Jericho Jesus has an encounter with Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. 

Throughout the story Zacchaeus is portrayed in three ways: rich yet needy, a just man yet condemned, and innocent yet without honor.  His wealth cannot provide him with a vantage point to see Jesus as he passes by.  Portrayed as stunted in terms of his physical stature, this rich man needs to climb a tree in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he passes by.  When Jesus calls him down, he proves that he is a just man; yet when Jesus goes to his house, he is called a sinner.  This society is driven by the need to preserve one’s honor.  Zacchaeus has none even though he has done nothing wrong.  Interestingly enough, St. Luke names him Zacchaeus which is Hebrew for pure or clean. 

This story is placed at the end of the journey to Jerusalem in order to give us a moment to contemplate what is about to happen.  When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, he will be welcomed by the crowd.  However, that welcome will quickly turn to condemnation, death and burial.  Jesus, a man rich in power, will make himself vulnerable.  The just man will be condemned.  The spotless lamb will be sacrificed upon a cross. 

Zacchaeus and Jesus are mirror images of each other.  This story is a perfect ending for the journey and transition for the story that is about to unfold in Jerusalem.  Throughout the journey, Jesus has been preaching and teaching and healing.  However, he has also been hounded by the scribes and Pharisees, the elders of Israel, who try to trip him up by their craftily posed questions, each of them designed to deprive him of honor and to shame him in the eyes of the people.  Each and every time, Jesus has turned the tables on them.  It is they who have been shamed; it is they who have lost their honor in the eyes of the people.

Rich in honor, completely without sin, the innocent man gives himself up to the powerful men of Israel and Rome in order to save us from our sins.  The Book of Wisdom tells us that God has “mercy on all, because you can do all things” and that God overlooks “people's sins that they may repent.”  While the elders struggle to hang on to every scrap of honor they can, Jesus completely empties himself for our sake, even to the point of dying on a cross, the ultimate shame. 

We still live in a world where men and women guard their honor.  We act so that others will think well of us.  We protect ourselves from gossiping tongues and from those who might think ill of us.  If nothing else, today’s Gospel story teaches us that true honor comes from God, not from human beings, that what God thinks of us is far more important than what others think of us.  The world may scorn us for our beliefs, may mock us for our moral values, and may shun us for our efforts to love God and neighbor.  We are secure in the knowledge that none of this matters, for God’s love has redeemed us and guaranteed us a life with God forever.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator