Zacchaeus (Archimandrite Joel Yiannakopoulos)

Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

By Archimandrite Joel Yiannakopoulos

The Lord, as He was walking toward Jerusalem, as we saw previously, arrived at Jericho. “Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector.” Tax collectors were those who collected tolls and taxes. Jericho was a center for the export of balsam, which was sold throughout the whole world, and a hub of communication between Judea, Perea, and Egypt. This Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector because he was the supervisor of those collectors. “And he was rich and sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd.” Because of the great press of people, walking along with the crowd for some time, Zacchaeus was unable to see Christ, “because he was small in stature.” He was short. “And running ahead,” that is, running forward, “he climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was about to pass that way.” The sycamore was a tree with low branches extending parallel to the ground, having leaves like a mulberry and fruit like a fig. Therefore, it was easy to climb. He runs and climbs it, because Christ was going to pass near it.

“And when Jesus came to the place” where this tree was and Zacchaeus was upon it, “He looked up,” that is, He lifted up His eyes, “and saw him and said to him: ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’” Zacchaeus “made haste and came down,” descended from the tree, went to his house, and there awaited Christ. Shortly afterward Christ arrived at his house. Zacchaeus “received Him with joy.” How great must have been the joy of Zacchaeus! “And when they all saw it” — the Pharisees and those of like mind with them — being offended at this choice of the Lord, that He should lodge with a sinful chief tax collector, “they murmured,” saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a sinful man,” to rest from His journey in the house of a sinner!

But Zacchaeus, on the contrary — he, “standing,” that is, standing upright with solemnity, “said to the Lord: ‘Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor.’” Half of what I have I give as alms. “And if I have defrauded anyone,” and whatever wrong I have done to anyone, “I restore fourfold.” Zacchaeus appears strict with himself, for the Law (Exod. 22:3, 8) required fourfold restitution of what had been stolen when the wrongdoer was compelled to do so, and not when he voluntarily made restitution, as Zacchaeus does. “And Jesus said to him: ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.’” You are not the only descendants of Abraham, O Pharisees and other murmurers, the Lord seems to say, so that blessings should come only to you. This Zacchaeus also is a descendant of Abraham and therefore a child destined for salvation, because by his generosity he resembles Abraham also in spirit. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Christ came down to earth from Heaven in order to seek, find, and lead every sinner to salvation.

Theme: Zeal and Reality

We often hear that we should not go to extremes and that the middle way is the royal path. And yet there are circumstances in which the so-called middle way is a sign of lack of zeal or of ability, a path trodden by the indecisive and irresolute. Extremes, however, when we know where to place them, are in many cases the only things that show a person to be truly alive and zealous. Such an example is provided by this Gospel passage. Let us examine it and, on its basis, our own life.

A. Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was a man of zeal. His zeal consisted in two extremes: great indifference toward the world and great concern for the world. His indifference toward the world was this: during feasts, church gatherings on official days, and other large crowds, most people go to churches and festivals because they are carried along by the worldly current, in order to see others and to be seen. Few go in order to benefit. Zacchaeus, however, was not a drop in the sea of the world to be carried along by it. He separates himself from the world, becomes higher both physically and spiritually than the crowd, because he climbs the sycamore tree in order to communicate — not by asking others about Christ, but to see Him directly with his own eyes and to hear Him with his own ears. How great is his indifference toward the world!

Zacchaeus was not only a tax collector but a chief tax collector. Since tax collectors were regarded as sinners because most of them were thieves, he as a chief tax collector would have been considered a robber. How many grimaces and unjust judgments of the crowd about Zacchaeus’ supposed hypocrisy would have been hurled against the small-statured Zacchaeus — judgments that the chief tax collector on the sycamore would have seen or sensed! They would have said: “Look, the thief! Now he pretends to be pious!” Yet his knees did not bend. The tax collector is indifferent to the current and to the judgment of the world. What concerns him is Christ and his conscience. How great is his indifference toward the world!

Zacchaeus is indifferent not only to the silent current and the insinuating words of the world, but also to the poisonous smiles and mockery of the crowd, which his small figure in the tree would provoke, appearing like a pasted image on a wall. He is indifferent to the silent current, to whispers, to words, to hidden smiles of the world. His conscience and Christ have literally seized him. His zeal makes him despise the world.

With all this, one might expect complete indifference toward the world, as if Zacchaeus were an airplane without landing gear, a feather in the wind. And yet — he shows great concern for the world. Toward the world he has legal and moral obligations, obligations imposed by elementary justice and by love. As a tax collector he would have committed injustices. The law and the position he held might have covered him, but the voice of conscience protested. Therefore we hear him say: “If I have wronged anyone or defrauded anyone, I restore fourfold.” His great concern, his zeal, moves him to declare that restitution will not be merely simple and exact, but fourfold.

Not content with the obligatory legal duty of justice, he voluntarily proceeds to the optional, positive duty of love: “Half of my goods I give to the poor.” The Pharisee in the parable boasted because he tithed everything he acquired. Zacchaeus, however, gave not one-tenth but five-tenths as alms! His zeal, his great concern for the world, drives him to surpass the Law and the Pharisee, the keeper of the Law. Here is his great concern for the world. Here are the two extremes of Zacchaeus: zeal and reality. And Christ rewarded him, for before such a crowd He saw him, spoke to him, dined with him, and for his sake confirmed that salvation had come to his house.

B. Us

How beautiful it is to learn both to care for the world and to be indifferent to the world! To be indifferent to the current, the whispers, and the mockery of the world when these are directed against truth, your conscience, and Christ. But to care for your obligations toward the world.

1. Indifference 

Do you go to church because you are carried along by the world, in order to see and be seen, or in order to see and hear Christ speaking through the priest, the chanter, and the preacher? If you go because you are carried along by the world, you are not a distinct being like Zacchaeus, above the world, but a drop or a wave carried by the current of the world, a pebble flattened by the steamroller of the world. If you go in order to hear the words of Christ, do you remember the Gospel and the Apostle that the priest and chanter read on Sunday? Did you pay attention to what the preacher said? Does your memory not help you? Strengthen it through attention!

Carried along by the world, you judge another, calling zeal hypocrisy, as the world would have said about Zacchaeus. Or you are judged as a hypocrite and, influenced by the world, you lose your peace. Others smile at your expense because of your supposed spiritual hypocrisy or your bodily weakness. Do not be troubled. Look to your conscience and to God. You have decided to rise above the level where the rest of the world stands, to climb the tree of life in order to see Christ. Be indifferent to the currents of the world — the silent ones, the insinuations, the whispers, the mockery, the laughter. Go forward with your conscience and your God.

2. Concern 

But you must not forget your legal and moral obligations toward the world. Have you taken money or goods in various ways and under various guises — as an employee, a supervisor, a servant, or a maid? You must return them at least in full. Did you owe money before the war and, during the wartime period when money lost its value, protected by the law you repay the same nominal amount? Legally you may be in order; morally you are not. Have you rented a house at a prewar rent? Today the law may allow you a fifteen-fold increase, while your own income has increased a thousand-fold. You have a moral obligation to satisfy the landlord whom you are wronging. You may owe no money, but you owe understanding, help, and love. Against such things there is no law. You are obliged to concern yourself with paying this unpaid debt by giving explanation, assistance, and love. “Owe no one anything except to love one another.”

3. Reward 

Then Christ will dine with you; you will hear His voice saying, “Salvation has come to this house.” Then, in the midst of the crowd, you will be rewarded by Christ. Here are the extremes rightly placed: zeal and reality.

A great example of zeal and reality is the conversion of Saint Pachomios to Christianity. Pachomios served as a soldier in the imperial army. Once he arrived with fellow soldiers at a city whose inhabitants treated him and his companions with great kindness. Their hospitality was sincere and warm. Amazed by these acts, Pachomios asked who these people were who showed such readiness to care for them. He learned that they were called Christians, who love all people, even their persecutors, and who believe in Jesus Christ. Pachomios was moved and became a Christian. Shortly afterward he went into the desert, where he lived an angelic life. How much zeal, how much reality in Christians and in Pachomios!

Let us soar with zeal, but also land in the reality of our obligations. Let us have zeal, but also practical goodness.

Source: The Life of Christ, published in 1953. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.