Sunday Gospel Reflections31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Wisdom 11:22-12:2 II: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2
Gospel Luke 19:1-10
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.
3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today."
6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold."
9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."
Interesting Details
- Setting: in 18:18-23, a rich, respected and apparently righteous person went away in sorrow. In contrast, the rich and despised Zacchaeus was joyful. Jesus saw through them both and restored honor to the latter.
- Toll collectors, like Zacchaeus, bid for the right to collect tolls, paid for this right in full, then hired agents to collect the tolls from the people. Not all collectors were able to make profits.
- The word “Zacchaeus” is related to Hebrew terms meaning clean, pure, and innocent.
- v. 3 “[Zacchaeus] was trying to see” and v. 10 “The Son of Man came to seek”-- Zacchaeus seeks, but at the same time God seeks and saves him.
- v. 5 “I must stay in your house today”-previously Jesus instructed his disciples to remain at the host’s house (9:4), to give people a chance to accept the kingdom. That event happens “today” (also in v. 9 and many other passages in Luke and Acts), indicating a significant turning point by God.
- v. 6 “joyfully”-the messianic joy is often associated with repentance, as in 15:5.
- v. 7 “everyone... began grumbling”-including the disciples, not just the disagreeable Pharisees.
- v. 8 “I am giving... to the poor”-the present tense indicates a regular action, not just one time. Giving alms in a sign of righteousness in Luke. He might have been doing this regularly even before meeting Jesus. If so, what Jesus gave was the recognition of his worth, as “a child of Abraham,” and thus his all-important honor.
- v. 8 “If I have cheated... fourfold restitution”-“if” probably implies that he did not cheat intentionally, though he might discover that it happened. The laws demanded 120% restitution for stolen goods, or 400% only in the most severe cases. Zacchaeus embraced the strictest standard.
One Main Point Jesus seeks us, sees us, and saves us. In repentance, we give alms and find joy even when the whole world is against us.
Reflections
- Jesus sees through me. What does he see?
- Have I ever felt that people judge me unfairly? In such cases, does Jesus bring me joy?
- Dare I be like Jesus and recognize another person’s goodness even when everyone grumbles against such recognition?