THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
November 3, 2019
When Jesus started his mission, we hear his first message: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” And, throughout his public ministry, Jesus called people to repentance, to turning around and turning back to God. Today’s Gospel is one of the most dramatic examples of repentance and a story we should all listen to carefully, because it speaks to us; that’s why we have it proclaimed today. We’re all familiar with the story so it’s easy to just go on autopilot as we listen. But, it has some very interesting and important aspects that I would like to draw to your attention. One of the aspects that strikes me in this passage is how both Jesus and Zacchaeus sought each other out. We all know that Zacchaeus climbed up a tree to get a better vantage point from which to see Jesus. We have no idea why he did it, though; all the theories we hear are pure speculation. Jesus, on his part, called Zacchaeus forth by name, saying, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” Jesus had a clear purpose as he sought out Zacchaeus; to call him to repentance. And the joy is palpable between them. We read that Zacchaeus came down quickly and received Jesus with joy!
What we do know about Zacchaeus is that he was despised by his fellow Jews; that’s why they grumbled, complaining that Jesus has gone to stay at the house of a sinner. As the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus made his living working for the Romans, who oppressed the Jews, so his neighbors hated him for working for the enemy. And, as a tax collector, he was allowed to apply a surcharge to support himself and his family. Since they were already unpopular among their own, they might as well live in comfort, so it appears that many tax collectors over-charged their neighbors. No wonder tax collectors got a bad rap.
Notice, however, how Jesus treats Zacchaeus. Rather than hurling a condemning remark up at him, Jesus called him down so he could stay with him. We don’t know why Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. But, we do know why Jesus wanted to see Zacchaeus. He saw a lost soul that may be open to change and took advantage of the situation to call him back. Again, notice Zacchaeus’ response; he received Jesus with joy!
Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus’ invitation was, indeed, one of repentance. He turned away from his former ways and turned back to a way that would lead him to God. By giving away half his possessions to the poor and repaying those he had extorted in his work as a tax collector, Zacchaeus was demonstrating that, touched by Jesus’ love, he wanted to do something different; that’s true repentance. Rather than keeping his wealth to himself, like the farmer we heard about a few weeks ago who, after an abundant harvest, pulled down his barns and built larger ones only to have God say to him, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you,” Zacchaeus promised our Lord to give half of his possessions to the poor and repay fourfold anyone whom he had cheated. He had decided to show his love for God by loving his neighbor; this is truly a turning around point for him and we are all given the opportunity today, as we listen to this account, to reflect on where we need to repent – to turn around and turn back to God.
As we learn from Zacchaeus today, I would also like to draw your attention to a similar encounter that Jesus had with another wealthy man; the rich official who asks Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” After reminding him to obey God’s commandments, Jesus instructs him to “sell what you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” You will recall that, in this encounter, the man went away sad, for he had many possessions. This man could not pull himself to repent, at least not at that moment. So, rather than the joy that Zacchaeus felt, he felt sadness.
Jesus searches for us, too. He calls us by name and desires to come to our house. We should find great joy in that initiative. Do we respond in the same way when we have been moved by God’s love and mercy for us? Zacchaeus’ generosity came from a sense of being accepted and forgiven. He received neither of those things from the crowd who murmured around him, but he received it in abundance from Jesus. God offers us the same love and mercy; he sent his son, Jesus, to show that love and mercy to us in person.
The first reading today from the Book of Wisdom sums up the way Jesus approached Zacchaeus: “But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent.” It is very clear that God has mercy on us all. As we hear in today’s first reading, God rebukes offenders little by little, warns them and reminds them of the sins they are committing so that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in him. What a blessing this message is for all of us!
You should all have received my letter introducing our new Annual Stewardship Appeal, replacing our annual Fall Collection. As we focus on the treasure aspect of Stewardship which, as we all know, is what we do after we say “I believe,” we are all called to examine if we need to turn around and turn back to God in regard to our spending. Many of you have already responded very generously to this appeal and I thank you. To those who haven’t yet, I invite you to reflect on your response in light of today’s Gospel and be as generous as Zacchaeus; then you, too, will encounter our Lord with joy!
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem as he passed through Jericho. He was on his way to his crucifixion, where he would give his all for us. On the way, he took every opportunity to save those entrusted to him, including Zacchaeus. As it says at the end of today’s Gospel, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what is lost.” He came to save you and me, each of us lost in some way, each of us, like Zacchaeus, searching for true joy and each of us in need of repentance. Let’s resolve to turn around and turn back to God. Then we, too, will live in the joy of God’s presence, now and for all eternity!