Zacchaeus

Please feel free to identify yourself with A or B in their conversation about the Gospel today.

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A: Do you know Zacchaeus?

B: Of course. He is the short man who climbs the sycamore tree.

A: What else?

B: He is a tax collector.

A: How does he do his job?

B: Well, as a tax collector, he extorts people’s money so they hate him.

A: Wrong! Saint Luke does not report that he extorts anyone’s money. But how do you know Zacchaeus is short?

B: Well, he has to climb the sycamore tree.

A: Climbing the tree doesn’t necessarily prove he is short. If we read the Greek version of the Gospel today, it is not clear if the pronoun “he” refers to Zacchaeus or Jesus. Maybe Jesus is short and Zacchaeus has to climb up the tree to see him more easily?

B: I disagree. Jesus can’t be short. He must be handsome, tall, and perfect-looking.

A: What for? He gave up all his heavenly glory to come to us to be with us and like us in every way, except sinning. Would he need to keep his appearance beauty? Doesn’t the prophet Isaiah describe the Servant of God whom we apply to Jesus in this way: “there was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.” (Isaiah 53:2). Besides, if Jesus was handsome like a model, would the lame, the crippled, the blind, the poor, the ugly, … come to him with confidence?

B: Hmm, ok. I don’t know.

A: What else about Zacchaeus?

B: Well, he welcomes Jesus to his house and says he will make up for his exploitation of the poor.

A: Wrong!

B: Why wrong?

A: Saint Luke does not report that Zacchaeus exploited the poor but that he says “I shall give to the poor part of my possessions.” Right?

B: Oh yeah, that’s right.

A: No, it’s still wrong. He does not say he will give part of his possessions but HALF of his possessions.

B: Oh that’s right. I was mistaken.

A: Then Zacchaeus says he will repay five times over those whom he has extorted their possessions, right?

B: Yes.

A: Wrong! First he says “IF” he extorted anything from anyone, he will repay it. That means he might not have done any harm to anyone. Besides, he does not say 5 times but 4 times because “4 times” is the amount of restitution required by the law written in the book of Exodus, chapter 21 verse 37.

B: Wow, so Zacchaeus turns out to be a good person who understands and keeps the Jewish laws on almsgiving and restitution.

A: Yes, correct. But unfortunately people consider him a sinner, a bad guy, because his job is to collect taxes for the Romans.

B: Well, that’s why there is a proverb that goes: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We can’t see people’s heart and we don’t often understand very well their circumstances.

A: Yep. Anyway, what we have discussed so far is not important. There is another detail that is much more significant.

B: Which detail?

A: Do you remember Zacchaeus waves his hands to Jesus and invites him into his house?

B: Oh yeah, I remember that. He is very hospitable.

A: I’m afraid you’re mistaken again, my friend. There is no such a detail. And because that detail is not there, the Gospel account today is wonderful.

B: I don’t understand what you mean.

A: Ok, here is the wonderful detail: Before Zacchaeus opens his mouth or does anything, Jesus sees him and speaks to him: “Today I must stay at your house.”

B: This detail has nothing extraordinary. Why wonderful?

A: Don’t you see it’s like our life story? God always takes the initiative and finds us first. The story of Jesus’ disciples is similar: Jesus finds them first and invites them to follow him.

B: Wow, now I see. We often think we are the ones who look for Him but it turns out that He looks for us and finds us first. Wow!

A: Yes, we often busy ourselves with searching for God because we fail to think He is right beside us.

B: We keep crying to God because we do not listen to Him, who is speaking to us.

A: We blame God for our problems because we do not let Him do what He sees as the best for us.

B: And today I learned a lesson that I often fail to see important things in life because my eyes are fixed on INsignificant things.

A: Me too.

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Joseph Viet, O.Carm. [281A+V016]

Vietnamese:  https://only3minutes.wordpress.com/ong-gia-keu/

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