The 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, October 30, 2022

Luke 19, 1–10

At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

“Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.”  That is, he did not intend to make a stay at Jericho.  He did, however, intend to pass through the city rather than go around it.  Perhaps he meant by this to draw more of his disciples in that city to go with him to Jerusalem where they could witness his Sacrifice for them.  We also note in the phrasing of this sentence that the action that follows came outside Jericho, for St. Luke says Jesus came to it and intended to pass through it and not that he entered it and intended to pass through it.  

“Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was.”  The last part of this sentence might be better translated as “was desiring to understand who Jesus was.”  Since the main verb is in the imperfect tense, Zacchaeus had been desiring to know Jesus for some ongoing time.  Now he sees that he has his chance.  It is not enough for him to hear others talk about him.  He intends to know for himself who this is.  And he did not merely intend to “see” him but to find out who he was.  First, though, he must see him with his eyes.  “He could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.”  That is, he could not see or understand him because the crowd both blocked his sight and confused his attempts to understand with their own conflicting ideas.  He was “short in stature” in that he was physically small but also in his lack of knowledge of the Lord Jesus.  He could remedy both deficiencies, however.  “He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.”  The one who desires faith or to grow in faith lets nothing stop or hinder him.  The one who desires faith climbs a “sycamore tree” in that he mounts the heavens with earnest prayer.  Having opened his heart to Jesus in this way, he can receive the gift of faith.  The Lord dearly desires to give us faith and greater faith, but we must make ourselves able to receive his gifts.  “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”  The Lord informs Zacchaeus with joy that he has heard his prayer and he will now dwell in the house of his soul.  “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy.”  The soul, having received the gift of faith, embraces the Lord and will not let him go.

“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”  The people who surround the one who has received faith become uncomfortable with the change in the person’s attitude and behavior.  He no longer shares in their low interests and activities.  They, sinners themselves, do not understand how he could forsake them for someone so different from them.  “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.”  The one who has received faith knows that he must make up for the evil he has done in the past and is eager to do it for the sake of the Lord.  

“Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”  True repentance, penance, and the reception of faith in Jesus bring salvation.  They open a person to the graces God has stored up for him.  We are all lost through sin, but the Lord has come to save us.  He freely offers his salvation to us.  But we must make our own efforts to receive it.  We must make ourselves capable of receiving what he so wants us to have.