Luke 19: 1 – 10 Zacchaeus

Luke 19: 1 – 10 Zacchaeus

He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

Jesus decides to visit Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector of Jericho and a wealthy man. This person seems far outside Jesus’ usual constituency of the poor and disenfranchised. In fact he seems to be the polar opposite. Jesus, however, continues to confound conventional wisdom and defy stereotypes. He has come to call sinners, he reminds us, and anyone who gives him an opening is worthy of his time and attention – even wealthy tax collectors. Thank God for that! I too am wealthy by many standards and like Zacchaeus, I am far from perfect. Zacchaeus actually becomes someone we can all look up to, someone who works within his reality – his wealth and position of power – resolving to be generous with his blessings and just in his actions. Jesus applauds his efforts and announces his salvation. Zacchaeus is a model for us and a sign of hope for our salvation. Generosity and Justice. Amen.