As it has been the pattern in our reflections, in the first part we are going to revisit the general structure of our Christian life journey based on the text of today. In the 2nd part we will focus on the theme of Invitation.
Part 1: Christian Life Journey
1. The thirst: Zacchaeus was anxious to see Jesus (Lk 19:3)
Why did Zacchaeus want to see Jesus? It was perhaps a mere curiosity. But could this eagerness be an indication of something deeper – a thirst, a desire? And where does that desire come from? I think the source of that thirst to see Jesus is God Himself. The thirst arises from the truth that we are created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). Since we all bear the image of God – being in the nature of God – we want to reach our origin. As every river on the face of the earth, small and large, strives towards the great ocean, we all strive towards God. He is the alpha and the omega. St Augustineencapsulated this in his powerful statement: “Thou hast prompted man, that he should delight to praise thee, for thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee” (Confessions, 1,1; trans. Outler).
2. The search: He ran ahead (Lk 19:4a)
To fulfil that thirst Zacchaeus goes searching for Jesus. His search is similar to that of the Magi (Mt 2:1); it is similar to the search of John and Andrew who had left their flourishing fishing industry and had gone to live with John the Baptist (Jn 1:35); and it is similar to the woman who went to the well to satisfy her thirst (Jn 4:7). But Zacchaeus has two problems. First, he was short. The first problem is part of his person – a personal weakness, perhaps. The second problem is “because of the crowd.” This difficulty rises from his environment. The noise of the crowd, the size of the crowd, and the prejudice of the crowd against Zacchaeus, make it difficult for him to continue the course of the movement towards the fulfilment of his deepest desire. But the ‘short-man of the Bible’ does not say, ‘Bad luck! Today is not my day.’ He refuses to be bogged down by these impossibilities. He does not want the Lord to pass him by (Gen 18:1-33; see alsoSt Augustine). Zacchaeus runs ahead to have a glimpse of Jesus.
3. The sign/pointer: He climbed a sycamore tree (Lk 19:4b)
The same God who has put within us the desire to search for Him, also puts pointers on our way. There are signposts that show us which way to go so as to satisfy our thirst. But they are only signs, hence it is also easy to miss them. The Magi see a star in the east. They recognise that this is the time to go searching for the God-child. However, following human reason they end up in thepalaceofHerod: if a king is born he must be born in a palace. In any case, in due course, they correct themselves. They are able to follow the star. They are wise!
Zacchaeus sees a way out of his situation. He is able to unblock his challenges. He sees an alternative – a signpost: the sycamore tree! His situation is like the four men who went carrying a paralytic to Jesus (Mk 2:1-12). The house is crowded, and the door is blocked. They see a way out of the problem and a way in to the house: through the roof!
‘Climbing the tree’ is an act of individual will to be open to the grace of God. Since He created us as free beings, God waits for us to take that first step. “Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share a meal at that person’s side” (Rev. 3:20).
4. The invitation: Zacchaeus, come down (Lk 19:5)
When we take one step towards God, He seems to come all the way. The God of surprises goes to Zacchaeus who is now on the tree: “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today” (Lk 19:5). This is the central theme of the reflection of today. We will return to this shortly.
5. The encounter: Jesus has gone to stay (Lk 19:7)
Zacchaeus encounters God in Jesus, in the context of a meal. The meal is so significant. Meals signify fellowship, celebration and sealing of a covenant. So many gospel encounters unfold in the context of a meal: the sinner woman (Lk 7: 36-50), multiplication of loaves (Jn 6); last supper (Jn 13); the resurrection encounter (Jn 21:1-13); the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35). Our participation in the Eucharistic meal also highlights this. At the same time, being at table with Jesus does not automatically mediate an experience of salvation. In fact, speaking about salvation Jesus once said: “Then you will start saying, “We once ate and drank in your company… but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from; away from me, all evil doers” (Lk 13:26-27). This was exemplified in the experience of many Pharisees who invited Jesus for meals (Lk 7:36-50; Lk 11:37-54; Lk 14:1ff). Nothing of know of their stories of salvation.
As for Zacchaeus, the meal becomes really an experience of salvation. He stands up to make a statement about his reaction to the encounter with Jesus.
6. Transformation: Today salvation has come (Lk 19:9)
A specific expression of conversion as a result of the encounter with Jesus is renunciation. There is a pattern of leaving behind something. “So the woman left her water jar (Jn 4:28). The Magi recognize the king in that child inBethlehem, “and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Mt 2:11). Similar experiences are reported of the apostles: “At once he called them and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him” (Mk 1:20, also Mt 4:22). “When he went out after this, he noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting at the tax office, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything Levi got up and followed him” (Lk 5:27-28). And Zacchaeus was ready to give half of his property to the poor (Lk 19:9). He expresses charity. This is the first part of the statement. But I am more intrigued by the second part. I have a different take on the passage; you might want to pay some keen attention to it.To me, Zacchaeus does not come out as a sinner making his confession. He does not say, “Lord, I beg your pardon that I was a real cheat. I have deceived so many people in my profession.” He seems to demand justice for himself. Here is the typical twist in the Lukan narrative. “But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount’” (Lk 19:8). The second part of his statement begins with a conditional ‘if’: “and if I have cheated anyone….” (I have checked at least five English translations, in all of them ‘if’ is consistently used. I am not too sure what is in the original Greek, and what it could mean there.) Therefore, I would like to suggest that Zacchaeus was a victim of stereotype and prejudice. Just because he was a tax-collector he was considered a sinner (v.7). Probably this is why he was also afraid to get into the crowd when he wanted to see Jesus. But today he feels justified in the presence of Jesus. The experience of God has given him the courage to pour out his heart. “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham.”
Part 2: The Invitation
Zacchaeus, come down (Lk 19:5)
The Prophet Jeremiah complains to God: “You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me; you were the stronger” (Jer 20:7). Being ‘seduced’ could imply two aspects: to be attracted to something, and then being deceived. In fact, other translations of the same text from Jeremiah (20:7) say, “O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived” (RSV). We will have time to look at the meaning of ‘deception’, but let’s focus on attraction.
That which is beautiful attracts us. Yes, God is beautiful. He attracts us. He draws us to Himself. The Hebrew Scripture is full of very concrete images of God who attracts human beings. A typical example is the call of Moses: “The angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame blazing from the middle of a bush. Moses looked; there was the bush blazing, but the bush was not being burnt up. Moses said, ‘I must go across and see this strange sight, and why the bush is not being burnt up.’ When Yahweh saw him going across to look, God called to him from the middle of the bush. ‘Moses, Moses!’ he said” (Ex 3:2-4).
Couldn’t be possible that God attracts us – he invites us – but we are too busy with our own things and do not heed his call. In the Gospel of Luke (14:16-24) Jesus tells us a parable of the man who arranged a big banquet and invited many friends. But they all gave excuses. So the feast was thrown open to the commoners. St Augustineexpresses this sentiment in his Confessions when he says, “Late have I loved Thee, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new. Late have I loved Thee” (Chapter 10).
In the Book of Revelations (3:20) the Lord says, “Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share a meal at that person’s side.”
But when we do take one step towards God; when we do open the door to Him, He comes all the way. Zacchaeus has taken a step towards God/Jesus by climbing the tree. The God of surprises goes to Zacchaeus who is now on the tree: “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today” (Lk 19:5). Jesus invites himself. To the two disciples of John the Baptist (Jn 1:39) Jesus says, “Come and see.” To the woman who comes to the well to draw water (Jn 4:7), it is Jesus – seated alone – who makes the ‘seductive’ proposition: “Give me something to drink.”
Yes, wanting to pray is an act of free will on our part to respond to the inner thirst. But what happens during prayer is His grace. We realise that he is the one, after all, who has been searching for me. Again St Augustine continues:
Lo, you were within,
but I outside, seeking there for you,
and upon the shapely things you have made
I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me, but I was not with you.