“Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today, I must stay at your house.”
Today’s Gospel, the beginning of chapter 19 of Luke’s Gospel, begins to mark the ascent towards great Lent. Zacchaus was a tax collector. In chapter 18 we meet another tax collector. On that occasion the tax collector was contrasted to a Pharisee.
Pharisees believed that their whole relationship with God was to live under God’s laws. They believed in Justice and obedience under the law. Pharisees had very clear laws about ritual cleanliness and meeting the letter of the law. To a Pharisee, a tax collector was unclean. You will recall in the Gospel account of the tax collector and the Pharisee the Pharisee prided himself in being obedient to the law. Indeed he thanked God that he was not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers or even as the tax collector praying next to him. While he was condemning the tax collector, the tax collector who would not even lift his eyes to Heaven beat his breast saying: God be merciful to me a sinner.
Zacchaeus was also rich. We also meet another rich man in chapter 18 of Luke’s Gospel. In this Gospel reading the rich young man asked Christ what he should do to inherit eternal life. Christ told him to keep the law. Dissatisfied with that answer the rich young ruler pressed Christ who then told him to sell all he had, distribute it to the poor and follow him. We are told that when he heard this the rich young ruler became very sorrowful for he was very rich. Simply put he was not prepared to follow the word of Christ.
We now turn our attention to Zacchaeus to see what lessons we can draw from this Gospel reading. It strikes me that Zacchaeus who had heard of Jesus wanted to meet him. Obviously, the fame of this healer, this teacher, this worker of miracles and charismatic leader of men who had no interest in material things and who taught of the kingdom of heaven was known throughout the district. But Zacchaeus didn’t just want to know of him he wanted to meet him. We are told being small of stature he ran ahead and climbed into a sycamore tree to see the master. Christ called Zacchaeus by name. Imagine the surprise of this tax collector at hearing his name being called by Christ and being told by Christ to come down from the tree because Christ wanted to stay at his house.
Here this man sought to initiate a personal encounter. He wanted to go beyond knowing about Christ to knowing Christ. How many of us today upon hearing about the word of Christ say within our hearts yes I want a personal encounter with Christ. I want to talk in my heart to Christ. It is a wonderful thing for us to seek that sort of personal encounter with Christ. Also, is it must have been amazing to Zacchaus that Christ knew him by name before he had even met him. However, as God is all in all and nothing is hidden from him, God knows about us, who we are and what our rendered will be before we were formed in our mother’s womb. Therefore, just as the name of Zacchaeus was known to Christ, we too will be called by our name by Christ at the second resurrection.
Notice that Christ says I must stay at your house. He told Zacchaeus to open up to him. And what did Zacchaeus do? Immediately he clambered down the tree and received Christ joyfully. There was no pretence or guile in Zacchaeus. There was no sense of formality. As soon as he was told to come down he left behind his own sense of worth, assumed the mantle of humility and like a little child joyfully embraced the master. Unlike the Pharisee, Zacchaus did not seek salvation through pride in being obedient under the law, but sought salvation in the form of a person namely Christ.
There is a lesson in this in that it is not possible to be saved unless you have a loving relationship with Christ. No matter how pious, just or obedient we are under the law unless we are prepared to have a personal encounter in Christ then we fail. Simply put you cannot save yourself solely through your own action. You must also have faith in Christ.
The Pharisees complained about Christ being a guest to the home of a sinner. It occurs to me that we are all sinners. If that was of the complaint and the complaint was valid then we would all be doomed to have no hope. However, Zacchaus confesses to sharing his wealth by giving half of his goods to the poor and if he takes anything from anyone by false accusation he restores it fourfold. Here was a man who was not controlled by his possessions. Even before he met Christ he knew what it was to be a Christian, namely to share in love. Here was a man who acknowledged that he was a steward of whatever he owned. As a steward he endeavoured to utilise the goods under his control for other people. The Pharisees gave 10% of their goods to the poor – this man gave 50%, well and truly above and beyond the requirements of the law. Clearly by so doing we are given the example that we need to live beyond the requirements of the law, share what we have with those less fortunate, and more importantly give of ourselves so that we can live Christ-like lives.
When Christ calls us by saying today I must stay at your house, how many of us welcome him with open arms joyfully? Sometimes we think that it is an imposition and an unfair demand for us to part with our goods. Somehow we think being a Christian means that we discharge our obligations to Christ by coming to church. This is wrong. Been a Christian means living your life in Christ and living the liturgy after the liturgy. We are not simply called upon to feel good about ourselves whilst we are in church only. After all, when Christ says to you I must stay at your house today, do we slam the door or do we to run and embrace him like Zacchaus?