31st
Sunday OT
Fr.
Philip Neri Powell, OP
OLR,
NOLA
Zacchaeus
is traitor. And he's short. He can't help being short, but his
traitorous nature is the direct result of sin. As a tax collector for
the Roman occupiers and their puppet king, he is charged with
squeezing the conquered population of Judea for cash. He's not paid
to do this. To earn a living he keeps a percentage of what he
collects. So, the more he collects, he more he earns. Ta-collectors
were counted among the scum of society along with prostitutes and
lepers. Now, we could psychoanalyze Zacchaeus to figure out why he
became a tax-collector. Maybe. . .as a smaller boy he was bullied.
Ostracized. Teased for being short, he grew up angry, swearing
vengeance on his childhood oppressors. How ever and why ever it
happened. . .he's a rich traitor. Fortunately for him, he hears about
Jesus and something inside him is set alight with the desire to
glimpse this wandering preacher. When Jesus comes through Jericho,
Zacchaeus gets his chance. But, alas, he is not only a sinner but a
short sinner and he cannot see Jesus over the crowd. Having spent
much of his childhood running from bullies, he's quite skilled at
climbing trees. So, he climbs a sycamore tree and from its strong
branches, he sees Christ. And, more importantly, Christ sees him.
Without that tree Zacchaeus might have never found his way to
salvation.
No
doubt – we have a story about a sinner finding Christ. It's one
we've heard many times. But this is perhaps the only gospel story
where a plant aids in the preaching of the Good News. Zacchaeus finds
among the branches of that sycamore a refuge from the throng
surrounding Jesus, a perch from which to watch Jesus pass by.
Obviously, this is no ordinary tree, right? The sycamore is a species
of fig. It has heart-shaped leaves; grows only in rich soil; and
produces fruit year-round. The ancient Egyptians called it the “Tree
of Life” and used its timber for royal coffins. It was a measure of
wealth and prestige. Is it any wonder then that Zacchaeus sights his
salvation from its branches?
Let's
take some literary license here. Thinking of our 21st century world,
what serves as our sycamore tree for the short sinner? Where can
those of us who are stunted by sin go to climb above the crowd to see
Christ? What thrives in the rich soil of the Word? What produces good
fruit year-round? What grows among its strong branches a foliage
shaped like a God-longing heart? Where can we climb so that Christ
sees a sinner above the crowd? Is there a better place for the sinner
to be than the Church? Among strength, fruitfulness, holy desire, and
the richness of a firm foundation, Zacchaeus, a short traitorous
sinner, clearly sees the one he will host in his own home, the one to
whom Jesus says, despite the grumbling of the crowd, “Today
salvation has come to this house. . .”
We
can draw and some have drawn the wrong lesson from this story. Some
will say, “See, Jesus welcomes all sinners, therefore we cannot
call a sin a sin.” But notice that it is not sufficient for his
salvation that Zacchaeus sees Jesus from the sycamore. Christ calls
to him, knowing who he is, and invites Zacchaeus to host him.
Zacchaeus hears the invitation and immediately knows that all his
thieving, all his traitorous behavior is just fine with the Lord. His
sin is no longer sinful, right? Wrong. Zacchaeus repents and vows
to do penance by repaying his thefts four times over. Then Jesus
announces the redemption of his house. This is the gospel pattern:
Christ comes. Christ is seen. He invites the sinner to table.
Overwhelmed by this mercy, the sinner repents and does penance. His
salvation is made manifest. The task of the Church is to be the
sycamore, the refuge for any and all who long to see the Lord from
her strong, fruitful branches. From among these heart-shaped leaves,
the worst of us can see Christ and hear his call to a new life in
him. To hear Christ's invitation and to receive his mercy, confession
and repentance must come first. His invitation and mercy do not
magically make sin into something good. But. . .once received –
thru confession and repentance – his mercy makes us into something
else, something, Someone new!
Rich
sinners, poor sinners, tall, short, fat sinners, skinny, black,
white, male, female sinners, gay, straight, in-between sinners,
sinners in all the infinite variety in God's creation – climb the
branches of Christ's holy tree – the Church – and he will ask to
come stay with you. Accept his invitation and his mercy thru the
confession of your sins and repentance. . .and you too will be set
free.
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