A Life-Changing Encounter with Jesus—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 21C (Luke 19:1-10)

 

Luke 19:1-9 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

19 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ² A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵ When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷ All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” ⁸ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” ⁹ Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

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                I have a question for my readers: Is anyone beyond redemption? I’m not an adherent of the Reformed doctrine of predestination, so I don’t believe that God chooses who is in and who is out. I also lean toward some form of universal salvation, so that colors the way that I might answer the question. Still, there is the question of whether a person can be reclaimed in this life, such that their lives are dramatically changed. The story of Zacchaeus offers us one of those important opportunities to consider how encounters with Jesus can lead to the reclamation of people’s lives.

                The story of Zacchaeus is well known to anyone who attended Sunday School as a child. His being short of stature seems to appeal to small children who are also short of stature when compared to the adults in their lives. So, we sing about “wee little Zacchaeus.” What we probably didn’t understand as children, and why Zacchaeus’ story is important, is that he was, by trade, a tax collector. While that made him rich, it also alienated him from his community. We might not appreciate the “tax man” (that is, the IRS agent), but tax collectors such as Zacchaeus worked for an occupying government (the Roman Empire) and therefore were considered by many of their fellow Judaeans to be collaborators with the enemy. That meant he didn’t have a lot of friends beyond his colleagues, all of whom made a fortune off their neighbors.  

                What is interesting about this particular story is the lengths to which Zacchaeus went so that he might encounter Jesus. Luke doesn’t tell us why Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus to such a degree that he was willing to climb a sycamore tree, so he could see Jesus when he passed by. Yes, he was short and couldn’t see over the crowd that gathered in Jericho to see Jesus, but he went to rather great lengths to see him. Climbing a tree, as an adult, is a rare occurrence. For someone of his wealth, this could be seen as a somewhat humiliating, if not precarious situation. Yet, he was willing to put everything on the line so he could get a glimpse of Jesus. What he expected might happen is not known. But, as the story goes, he was in store for a life-changing encounter with Jesus.

                We need to take note of this particular stage in Luke’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry. We have been on a journey for some time with Jesus as he made his way toward Jerusalem and his eventual date with destiny. In fact, according to Luke, this is the last stop before Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph (Luke 19:28-40). There is a parable that separates this story from the Triumphal Entry (the parable of the Ten Talents/Pounds), but this is the final stop before Jesus reaches Jerusalem. Jesus will spend that last moment hanging out with a tax collector. Then again, Jesus was known for dining with people just like Zacchaeus (see my book Eating with Jesus: Reflections on Divine Encounters at the Open Eucharistic Table for the possible implications of Jesus’ dining habits).

                Getting back to our story, as Jesus entered Jericho, Zacchaeus went looking for him. Because he couldn’t see over the crowd because he was short of stature, he climbed that tree of destiny. Whether  Zacchaeus expected or hoped to be recognized from his perch in the tree, when Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was hanging out, Jesus spotted him. Not only that, but Jesus called out to him. He even calls out Zacchaeus by name and invites himself to dinner at Zacchaeus’ house. Jesus told him to hurry down from the tree and join him because he was going to stay with Zacchaeus before taking the last leg of his journey to Jerusalem. Zacchaeus did exactly as Jesus requested. He hurried down from the tree and happily welcomed Jesus to town and to his house.

                As you might imagine, not everyone was thrilled to see Jesus head to the house of Zacchaeus. How could Jesus stay and eat with someone who was a sinner? This was, of course, a common criticism of Jesus, who regularly flouted expected standards. What separated Jesus from the “righteous ones” of society is that he understood that everyone is worthy of redemption. No one is beyond God’s ability to reclaim. Of course, that meant that Jesus opened himself up for criticism because, as we all know, “birds of a feather flock together.” So, if Jesus spent time with “sinners and tax collectors,” then perhaps that meant he was a sinner. If so, why would the righteous ones want to back his ministry? Of course, many others, perhaps those who didn’t inhabit the circle of the righteous, sought spiritual guidance and healing from one who was willing to embrace them. So, Jesus headed to the home of Zacchaeus. The result was a profound change in life.

           Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus was something he probably never expected to happen. He did his best to get a glimpse of Jesus from a branch on a sycamore tree. But when Jesus broke protocol and invited himself to stay with Zacchaeus, he was so overjoyed that he made an amazing promise. He told Jesus that he would give half of his possessions to the poor. Not only that, but he would also pay back four times what he had taken from people through fraudulent means. It’s worth remembering that tax collectors made a living by overcharging the people. The more they could exhort, the better for them. They just had to make sure Rome got its cut.

Compare this response of the rich ruler in the prior chapter, who, upon asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, walked away when Jesus asked him to sell everything he owned and give it to the poor so he could store up treasure in heaven (Luke 18:18-25). Zacchaeus was also rich, but unlike that ruler, who was one of the leaders of society, he volunteered to essentially bankrupt himself as a sign of repentance. He did so without Jesus asking. Something touched his heart, and he responded in a very powerful way. So, as Jesus said after this encounter with the rich ruler, “what is impossible for mortals is possible for God” (Luke 18:26).   

                Jesus responded with a powerful act of grace, which led to the transformation of a life. He told Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house.” When Jesus spoke here of salvation, he didn’t only have in mind Zacchaeus’ future residency in heaven, but also his place in the larger community. Note that Jesus spoke of him being a “son of Abraham.” Where once he had lived outside the community as an outcast because of his profession, Jesus reclaimed him, restoring him to his place in the family of Abraham. Jesus did this because Zacchaeus was lost, but Jesus had a calling. That calling involved seeking and saving the lost. In so doing, restoring lost people to their rightful place in the family of Abraham.

                So, as we ponder this passage, where do we fit in the story? In this age of polarization and finger-pointing, do we find ourselves standing among the critics? Or perhaps we’re closer to Zacchaeus’ station in life? Maybe we also have had a life-changing encounter that has led to something like Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus’ invitation. Or perhaps we stand outside the story but find ourselves among the great cloud of witnesses that rejoice in this moment of restoration? Wherever we find ourselves, the story of Zacchaeus reminds us that Jesus understood that no one stood beyond the pale of restoration. When it comes to Abraham’s family, it is worth also remembering the life-changing covenant that God made with Abraham, such that God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:1-4). The good news is that we are also members of Abraham’s family—by adoption, of course!