Zacchaeus knew that he hadn’t done anything to earn righteousness and so he was able to do what the rich young ruler could not. He bore fruit in keeping with repentance.
Prayer
“In your Kingdom even the sparrow finds a home. May we each find our home in you, o God.”
Scripture
Comparisons
If you’ll recall, when we began our study of Luke we said that one of the themes of the gospel was the blessings of poverty and the dangers of wealth. Our passage today emphasizes that Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, and he was rich!
Luke has had a lot to say about rich people (as also does James). In chapter six Jesus pronounced woe on the rich. In chapter twelve we get the parable of the rich fool who ends up damned. In chapter sixteen we get the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man ends up in torment in Hades while Lazarus is taken to be with Abraham. In chapter eighteen the rich young ruler comes to Jesus to ask how to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him to sell his possessions and give to the poor. The rich man cannot do this and Jesus noted how hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God.
Now Zacchaeus is called rich, and Luke emphasizes that word. The stage is set for another object lesson—another condemnation of the rich. Surprisingly that is not what we get. Instead we get a story of a man of high station (chief tax collector!) who abandons social adroitness, runs chasing after Jesus, and climbs a tree! People of social station do not run after objects of desire. They wait while objects of desire come to them. They do not climb trees. They order others out of their way. Zacchaeus is terribly keen to catch sight of Jesus. Almost like a blind man, which, no doubt coincidentally is the story told right before this one.
The story is about Jesus seeking and saving the lost, but it’s also about the lost who seek to be saved. Out of all the rich people in Luke, why does salvation come to this one rich man and none of the others? What is different about Zacchaeus that allows him to respond to Jesus like he does?
Reflection
- Throughout Christian history our teachers have emphasized the danger of riches. We get it in the Bible, the Church Fathers, Wesley, and our own Nazarene tradition. When we are so comfortable with wealth, why are there so many teachings about its dangers?
- Are you confident that you are righteous and that your eternal life is secured (e.g. “If you died tonight…”)?
- Where does pride and self-righteousness keep us today from responding like Zacchaeus? From bearing fruit in keeping with repentance?
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Illuminations 