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Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
- Luke 19:1-10
In yesterday's reading, Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again." But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet, but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, and passing through Jericho, the place where the walls of the city were trumpeted and shouted down by the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. If we look at Zacchaeus, we find even what we might call a ridiculous figure: he's a tax collector first of all, he's very rich, and he's short enough so that he has to climb up a tree to see Jesus. He hasn't got very much going for him at the beginning of this story!
And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." Can we perhaps say that this is the new shout at Jericho -- that Jesus is the Priest who comes to Jericho in this new account, to topple walls we can't see? Instead of an army and a battle, here it is Christ who comes to Jericho, and perched high up is the wealthy, short, tax collector who's climbed a tree. Jesus calls him out, deliberately and specifically. It is his house where Jesus must stay today! And Zacchaeus must hurry!
So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." My study bible says, "This delightful account occurs only in Luke. Zacchaeus means 'the pure and innocent one.' Being a tax collector, he does not live up to his name, by his own admission. Nevertheless, he comes to have a heart for Christ and becomes a changed man. Because he has been richly blessed, he gladly offers to do something voluntarily, which the rich ruler would not. Exactly what happened in the house of Zacchaeus is unknown, but the joy rings out in Christ's words: Today salvation has come to this house."
We remember that Jesus taught the apostles on their first mission that they were to stay wherever they were first welcome. But here, He's in a different role, and makes His role as Christ -- on a mission to all of us in this world -- clear. He's come to seek and save that which was lost. Jesus comes to Jericho actively seeking Zacchaeus! He calls him out and tells him that He must stay at his house today -- make haste! Zacchaeus, a representative of all that is spiritually negative in some sense (tax collector, wealthy, and short of stature) is delighted to be sought. He makes haste, and as my study bible points out, voluntarily finds his own way into community, in faith. It's a testimony to the foundations and lack of barriers to this Kingdom: anybody is welcome, nobody is barred from faith. It reminds us of the parable of the Unjust Steward, who was praised by his master for making a shrewd bargain. Christ calls out Zacchaeus, and there is a way for him to make an important bargain, one that gives him entry into this community of the Kingdom. It's a very important story, because Zacchaeus may represent in some way all that we think the Gospels teach against -- and yet he doesn't at all. It proves to us that this Kingdom is really a matter of the heart, and nothing else bars us from coming to it and dwelling in it. The surprising call of Christ is the echo of the shout of Israel, only He comes calling each of us in our own hearts, and each of us has our own life to lay before Him, our own way to make our compromise with Him so that we too participate in His Kingdom, His Way. Zacchaeus finds his way and makes things right, making the real bargain to live his life Christ's Way. He doesn't have to change in some external radical way -- but the inner commitment is there to truth, to justice, to a righteous life. In Zacchaeus, we find the whole story of the mercy of God - who sent His Son that we might have life. The "warrior shout" of Christ is the shout of One calling for a place to stay in our hearts, for us to make room for Him and feed Him and shelter Him in our lives -- to find room to do it His Way. The words of the final verse of today's reading are important. "That which is lost" is indicated with words in the Greek usually reserved for those who are in "perdition" -- implying true destruction. In the figure of Zacchaeus we are truly taught that "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." In Jesus' words, He reveals that this, indeed, is what He is here for!
