The Gospel for November 24, 2004
Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was going through the town and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd; so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house,’ they said. 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.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study
Jesus attracts all people, even (especially?) those thought to be beyond salvage by others. The writers have this stubby little man, who has only his own dignity left for reputation, abandon even that dignity just to catch a glimpse of Jesus.
And Jesus, as usual, takes this chance encounter to teach us that no person is beyond His bounds of love, or beyond repentance and its benefits.
A Reflection
In preaching class, we are taught to use imagination as one of the ingredients in the homiletic recipe. Zacchaeus sounds like a character from the pages of Dickens, perhaps. He stands out as a diminutive fellow, jostled by the crowd who despise him both for being an agent of the hated Roman occupiers as well as for (some think) cheating them in his tax collector role, an ideal character in an Edward G. Robinson sort of way.
Jesus, the master of the surprise, decides that not only will He embrace Zacchaeus as a friend, he will also accept hospitality at this outcast's home. For someone who is generally the apple of the crowd's eye, Jesus runs opposite what the crowd would have him do.
Why, for example, didn't he use one of his famous "brood of vipers" epithets on short Zacchaeus? Or condemn him for robbing the poor? Instead, Jesus does exactly what he tells us to do: he loves his neighbor, in a very public and accepting way.
And the results are marvelous. Zacchaeus is the representative of all of us who have a "salvation moment" after realizing what a mess we've created with our actions, lusts, envy, gluttony, and avarice. Zacchaeus makes room in his heart for the Love from the Light by eliminating his trust in things and pledging to repay anyone he has cheated, not merely as the Law would have had him do, but two or four times more than what was required.
And another thing taught in preaching school is the "So What?" question. Nice story, good moment, but, as we once heard, "Where's the beef"?
The whole story illustrates that a small start on our part brings a huge response on Jesus' part. He and the Holy Spirit are always looking for those small starts, lying in wait, as it were, for us to take that first step down the road of salvation, so that they can join us, walk with us, encourage us, and lead us into the kingdom to come.
Let's go find a tree. I hear he's coming to our town, too.
A Collect
Father, we know that you do not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that sinners should turn from their wickedness and live; grant us from your mercy the grace to know and love you, and to follow the example of your son, our Lord Jesus, the Christ. Amen
7:39:52 PM 
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