31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

 

My dear parishioners,

God is Good!!!  All the time!!!  And all the time!!!  God is Good!!!

The dominant theme of this book is the saving power of wisdom. Already the author has included a long list of people (in chapter 10) who were saved because they sought to be wise in the ways of God. That list led up to the great figure of Moses. The mention of this great leader of Israel inspires the author to launch into a review of the wonderful miracles associated with the Exodus.  One of them was the miraculous way God fed the Israelites with quail in the desert (Ex 16). By contrast, the Egyptians were plagued by all sorts of creatures. God blesses the righteous and instructs the sinful through adversity. With this lesson fresh in the minds of his readers, the author breaks off to reflect on God’s saving grace.

The encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus is really a story about seeing and not seeing. Those who think they see, do not, and those who appear not to see, do. Such reversals are a favorite method Luke employs in his storytelling.

Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus. Luke does not describe Zacchaeus as an attractive person. He is a chief tax collector, which means that he has other tax collectors under him. Tax collectors were often grouped with apostates and criminals in terms of how much the ordinary people despised them. Because of his occupation, Zacchaeus was rich, which would also make him hated. And he was physically short. He has heard that Jesus is going to be passing through town and for some reason, Zacchaeus has this strong, urgent drive to see Jesus, but his short stature puts him at a terrific disadvantage.

Jesus sees Zacchaeus. So fervent is Zacchaeus’ desire to see Jesus that he forgoes all propriety expected of a rich tax collector. He might be short, but he is also fast, and thus he runs ahead of the crowd, climbs a sycamore tree, and positions himself to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passes by. When Jesus arrives at the place where he is waiting, a very strange and shocking thing happens. It is Jesus who sees Zacchaeus. He instructs Zacchaeus to come down immediately, because “today” Jesus is going to stay at his house. Zacchaeus is thrilled, but the onlookers are shocked and filled with disgust at what Jesus has done. He picked the worst kind of sinful lowlife with whom to stay!

A descendant of Abraham. When Zacchaeus speaks, we discover that he is not what he appears to be. He gives half his possessions to the poor. He repays four times over to anyone who has been extorted by one of his tax collectors. In the English version, all these verbs are translated in the future tense, making them seem like things Zacchaeus will do in the future. In the original Greek text, all these verbs are in the present tense indicating that this is what Zacchaeus already does. Zacchaeus is a just man, a descendant of Abraham, and today he has experienced salvation. Jesus clearly saw through Zacchaeus even though Zacchaeus thought he was going to see Jesus. Clearly, God does not see as humans see.

Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved

 Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Aloysius