This encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus is a key point to understand our life as Christians. Jericho is a good-sized city located about 40 miles east and north of Jerusalem. According to Google, if I were a US Marine, that would be an eight hour walk in the desert. Being that I am not a Marine and good at walking in the desert, for me it would probably be a two to three-day walk, maybe longer. The text is very clear in saying that Jesus had no intention of stopping in Jericho. You see, he was heading to Jerusalem for the Passover feast, his Passion and Resurrection. The Gospels tell us he was so determined to get to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover that he walked by himself ahead of all the disciples. Jesus started this return of Galilee to Jerusalem against the will and council of his disciples. So much so that they even had arguments along the way about this journey. As Jesus passed through the city, surely, more people began to follow him. Maybe he even paused to say a few words. But he was on his way to Jerusalem with resolute determination.
Passing through the city Jesus comes across a sycamore tree. These trees have very thick limbs that stick out very low from the main trunk, close to the ground, almost like steps. That makes them easy to climb – especially for children or short adults. Jesus looks up and sees Zacchaeus, a public sinner sitting up among the limbs. Zacchaeus is a chief tax collector – he has a whole team of people working for him supporting the Romans taking money from the Israelites. He is the head of a gang. Zacchaeus is also wealthy. He is a traitor to his own people. He is despised and ostracized. His sin is public. As a result, his only friends and the folks who associate with him are also sinners. Zacchaeus is stuck in a rut with no way out – no way back to God and no way back to his community, his neighbors. Zacchaeus is separated from everyone socially, religiously, and physically. Hearing about the presence of Jesus, he made the initial effort to at least be able to get a glance of Jesus. In the tree he is still separated from the community but able to see Jesus.
Jesus is passing through the city on his way to Jerusalem. Jesus is right there in the middle of the disaster of a life that Zacchaeus had built for himself. One would expect that Jesus should continue down the road to Jerusalem. He doesn’t have time for distractions from his mission to get to Jerusalem for Passover. As a good rabbi or prophet, he surely would not associate himself with public sinners up in a tree. But instead, he stops and announces that he wants to stay overnight at Zacchaeus’ home. That is an utterly unexpected sign of God’s mercy.
Then the comments and rumors start about Jesus associating with sinners. The gossip mill goes full tilt. Rather than respond to the gossip with more insults, Zacchaeus responds with the mercy that he had just received by pledging to give away half his fortune and pay back four times over to anyone who was over charged or mistreated. Then as an even deeper sign of mercy, Jesus reestablishes Zacchaeus in the community by saying he is a descendant of Abraham.
Jesus is always there in the middle of our lives. God’s mercy is beyond our comprehension and expectations. Our respond to sin is gossip and social violence. God’s response is mercy and compassion. This encounter at the sycamore tree leaves us a two-fold challenge: make the first step toward God who is already in our lives waiting for us with mercy and always treats other with mercy.
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.
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