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

 

 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 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 

 

Yesterday we read that 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."  This was the third time Jesus prophesied to them regarding what would happen in Jerusalem.  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.  As was discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary, Jericho was notorious as a place of iniquity.  My study Bible notes that it is commonly associated with sinful living (see Luke 10:30, the parable of the Good Samaritan).

 

Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  See Luke 18:24-27.   My study Bible comments that this encounter between Christ and Zaccchaeus demonstrates that grace can accomplish that which is impossible to human beings.  

 

 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.  My study Bible notes that many spiritual interpretations of this passage express the universal significance of this encounter.  In Theophylact's commentary, we read of the crowd symbolizing sins:  "Crowded in by a multitude of passions and worldly affairs, he is not able to see Jesus."  But St. Ambrose offers several parallels as follows.  First, Zacchaeus is short, indicating that he is short on faith and virtue.  Second, that Zacchaeus has to go up a tree shows that no one who is attached to earthly matters can see Jesus.  Finally, as the Lord intends to pass that way, it shows that Christ will approach anyone who is willing to repent and to believe. 

 

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 my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."   My study Bible points out that Zacchaeus uses the term give for his free and generous offering to the poor, and restore for what he owes to those whom he had cheated -- as this was not a gift but was required by the Law (Exodus 22:1).  In doing both, he not only fulfills the Law, but he shows his love of the gospel.   

 

  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 comments that the title son of Abraham is an indication that Zacchaeus had become like this patriarch of Israel:  he was counted righteous by his faith, he became generous toward the poor, and he was united to the people of God.  My study Bible further adds that this Zacchaeus went on to be a bishop of the Church. 

 

 The story of Zacchaeus not only tells us about redemption as we normally think about it, and repentance that is its hallmark, but it is illustrative of the ways in which salvation works.  Most powerfully, it teaches us not simply about being saved, but being absolutely transfigured.  Zacchaeus does not merely become a believer in Christ.  He becomes an early bishop of the Church.  This is something extraordinary for one who was not simply a hated tax collector, but a rich (and hated) chief tax collector.  In Christ's time, these were Jews who worked for the Roman authorities, using state power not simply to collect taxes from fellow Jews but notorious for extorting extra income for themselves.  So to go from a despised and rich chief tax collector in Jericho (a place notorious for sin) to a bishop in the early Church is quite a transformation indeed.  In fact, we'd be closer to the truth to call it transfiguration, for this is the image of redemption in our faith.  He didn't just turn around and change the direction of his life, but he was entirely transformed, transfigured from his place of ill-reputed authority, to one that was most distinguished.  When Jesus pronounces him a son of Abraham, then it seems that we are to understand this as a transfiguration to one in the lineage of patriarchs, serving the people of God as shepherd in the new covenant.  In the process of redemption, we can turn to conventional stories of changing one's mind, getting onto a new path, finding a way to a decent life -- or we can recall our minds to the true image of what is meant by the Greek word theosis, or deification.  We turn to the Transfiguration to tell us of the revelation of the Kingdom and God's work in our midst, to show us what is truly real.  It was St. Athanasius and others who made the bedrock statement of theology in our faith:  "God became man, so that man might become [like] God."  When Jesus speaks of what is impossible with human beings becoming possible with God, he speaks quite literally of the power of the energies of God at work in human beings.  On human terms, we might think of redemption as imaging a person on the wrong side of the street deciding to turn around and do good.  But in our faith, the world is to be transfigured, all of creation saved, and Zacchaeus turning from a rich chief tax collector to become a bishop of the early Church is an image of the true fullness of redemption, of transfiguration as we should see it.  Our expectations and desires are simply not adequate to predict what kind of transformation is possible with God, what transfiguration might truly be in our lives.  Even the apostles, as they walk toward Jerusalem, cannot consider what is before them nor what lies beyond the Cross.  For God's reality reveals what we can't understand or expect, even the power of God's kingdom at work in us, a redemption that doesn't just turn around, but transfigures.