We have for our Gospel reading today the wonderful story of Zacchaeus the tax collector who was so short he had to climb a tree to get a better view of Jesus. This story is so bizarre, so drastic that it has to be true! Everyone, including Zacchaeus, is completely surprised when Jesus announces he intends to stay at Zacchaeus' house that day. They were all astonished because Zacchaeus was a tax collector and therefore someone who was widely despised. At the time Jericho, where he lived, was a very prosperous town at the center of the balsam trade. As the tax collector of this city Zacchaeus would have been a very wealthy man. Tax collectors were employed by the Roman occupiers under a kind of franchise system where they got a percentage of whatever taxes they could collect. This meant the better Zacchaeus was at his job, the wealthier he would be. This was also a reason why tax collectors were always disliked since it was in their interests to squeeze as much money out of everyone as they could. As far as the Jews were concerned, all tax collectors were public sinners because they were raising money for the Roman occupiers.
Talking to a tax collector might be unavoidable but eating with one gave the impression you approved of their behavior. At the beginning of the story it says that Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. There are all kinds of trees and some of them are much easier to climb than others. The sycamore tree is definitely one of the most difficult to climb since it has very few branches close to the ground and they tend to be smooth and difficult to grip. Somehow this small man gets up the tree because he wants to see the Lord. His effort was surely a measure of his desire to see Jesus who looks into his heart and recognizes that Zacchaeus is at a turning point in his life.
We can only imagine the different terrible names and slurs that people had screamed at Zacchaeus as he collected taxes. This would have happened if he was just and fair in his duties. Even more so as he extorted people and lined his own pockets. Just the sight of him would have driven people crazy and brought out their rage. It makes me wonder if he climbed that tree simply because he was short or also to get some protection from those he had wronged.
By expressing the wish to eat with Zacchaeus Jesus unlocks his heart and as a direct result Zacchaeus completely repents of his sins and offers to make quadruple restitution to those he has cheated. We don't get the reaction of the crowd to this extraordinary statement of Zacchaeus but they were not impressed since they would have regarded him as a sinner. I would imagine they would have treated his conversion with eye-rolls and a high level of skepticism.
There is nothing else recorded in the Gospels about Zacchaeus and this indicates that his conversion was a sincere one. There are later Christian traditions which say he took the name Matthias and was the one chosen as an Apostle to replace Judas Iscariot. Another tradition says he became the first Bishop of Caesarea and his wife was Veronica, the woman who wiped Jesus’ face with her veil on his way to Calvary.
Whatever the truth of these stories it seems likely that Zacchaeus did indeed make a sincere conversion and fulfilled his promises to make restitution to anyone he had cheated. The point is that it is a wonderful story of repentance. It shows once again how Jesus could look into a person's heart and draw out the very best in them. It also shows that the desire for repentance is something present in most people but that it often needs the right moment of kindness to bring it to the surface.
Perhaps that is a lesson we can take away from today’s gospel: the power of kindness. In the course of our daily lives, we come across many people who are secretly wanting to see and hear the voice of Jesus. On the outside they may be living in ways that are sinful, unholy, and wrong. They might appear to be lost, hopeless cases that will never change. It can be easy to treat them like Zacchaeus, to label and look at them with disgust and judgement. But inside, God may be moving their heart towards him, towards a life without sin, guilt, and remorse. Because of fear, embarrassment, self-hatred or shame, they may not know how to move towards God. Our acts of Christian charity can be the pivotal moment that changes a heart and helps a person move towards Christ in a way that will transform their life forever.
This can seem intimidating to us because we can’t read a person’s heart and soul like Jesus. We might wonder when, what, and how to say the things that will help, heal, and inspire other people. Each situation is unique but one thing is always true. Each and every person, no matter how messed up or repulsive, is precious to God. Every human ever conceived is made in the image and likeness of God. He knows every one of us, He wants to save each of us, and he has placed a unique piece of his Divine life in every human soul. If we pray for the gift to see God’s reflection in every person we encounter, we will be God’s voice to the modern-day Zacchaeus. If we ask God to help us see his face, even in the most difficult or hateful people, we will be instruments of peace and conversion. Lastly, if we truly believe that Jesus sees us and wants to come into the house of our very own soul, we will want that for others and be willing to love them, even in their weaknesses.
Today’s gospel contains a humbling truth: one kind word, one loving action can change a soul forever and be the difference between heaven or hell. May God help us to make our words and actions his own for the conversion of many!
