Jesus mirrors his Father’s unconditional love for sinners, in today’s gospel when he visited Jericho. Jesus must have been quite a celebrity and everyone wanted to see him, because the crowds were so thick Zacchaeus couldn’t see over them, because he was shorter than everyone else.
That in itself is an awesome thing, because Zacchaeus was a tax collector and a great sinner. He became a wealthy man by cheating people out of their money, so why was he interested in a religious figure like Jesus? Something Christ said must have touched the colder recesses of his heart, because he was determined to find a way to get a good look at him and so he climbed a tree.
This story about Zacchaeus is a lot like the extremes young people will go through just to get near their favorite musician at a concert, or even how the crowds gather at Saint Peter’s square to see the pope. The musicians have body guards to protect them from the crowd and so does the pope. However, the pope makes provisions to stop and briefly have contact with those who have come to see him. He makes a point to acknowledge them and kiss their babies.
Zacchaeus was hidden in the tree though, when Christ walked by. Jesus looked up and told him to “come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” Zacchaeus must have reacted with astonishment and it makes you wonder if Jesus laughed about his reaction? The gospel said Zacchaeus received him with great joy. And of course the crowd was jealous because Zacchaeus was such a sinner, and they complained so much that Zacchaeus promised to repay everyone four times what he owed them.
Zacchaeus would not have stopped cheating and stealing from people if it wasn’t for Christ’s acceptance of him, just as he was. Christ loved him, accepted Zacchaeus unconditionally, and personally included him in his life, even though he knew what a great sinner he was. This is what caused Zacchaeus’ change of heart.
Love is the only thing that causes conversion. If we just knew how to love more like Christ loves people, our world would change and become a better place. Christ was able to love deeply, because he is both human and divine. The Holy Spirit bound him and his Father together and they thought, loved and acted as one. Christ was rooted in his Father’s love.
Just as Jesus was rooted in His Father’s love, our heart needs to be centered in God’s unconditional love for us, in order for us to be able to begin loving other people the way that Jesus did.
Zacchaeus was definitely the recipient of grace in the gospel reading today though. He received an over abundance of grace, because he was physically close to Jesus. Zacchaeus drew near to Jesus, and Jesus in turn drew near to him, to the point of actually staying in his house.
However, Zacchaeus didn’t set a good example for anyone in his community, they looked down on him for the kind of life he led. But, the beautiful example of Zacchaeus’ life is how he set things right again. Zacchaeus recognized the truth in Jesus’ words when he heard them, and then he did something about it.
If our lives have been less than perfect, then Zacchaeus can give us hope that things can be set right again in our lives as well, no matter what the past may be. Christ didn’t judge Zacchaeus. On the contrary, he invited himself to dinner at his house! Maybe we could work a little harder on inviting Jesus into our homes as well. That would be a good thought for the day. How can we invite Jesus to enter into our homes a little more than what we have been doing lately, and truly make him the center of our lives?
