TO SEEK AND TO SAVE
What would
you do if Jesus knocked on your door and said, "I must stay at your home
today?" Jesus often "dropped-in" at unexpected times and He
often visited the "uninvited" - the poor, the lame, and even well
known sinners like Zacchaeus, the tax collector! This tax collector was
despised and treated as an outcast because he over-charged people and
accumulated great wealth at the expense of others.
As we
reflect on today's Gospel we hear that Zacchaeus was seeking to get a glimpse
of Jesus as he passed by on the road through Jericho. It is not clear from this story
exactly why he wanted to see Jesus. He has no reported injury or disease he
wants to have healed. Nor does the story suggest he wants to become a disciple
or follower of Jesus. The story simply states that Zacchaeus wanted to know who
Jesus was. Then, much to his surprise, he finds out that Jesus already knows
him. Jesus calls out to him by name and states that He must stay at his home.
Jesus, who obviously knows that Zacchaeus is a wealthy tax collector, chooses
to stay at his house. It is obvious that the Apostles object not because this
man is rich but because he is cheating the people and is a sinner.
Why did
Jesus single out Zacchaeus and honor him by going to his home? He did so because
Jesus "seeks to save," and this man needed God's merciful love and
forgiveness. Zacchaeus' encounter with Jesus Christ found more than he imagined
possible. He shows the depth of his repentance by deciding to give half of his
goods to the poor and to use the other half for making restitution. His change
of heart resulted in a change of life, a change that the community he lived in
could experience as genuine on his part. This is a wonderful learning
experience for the Apostles and for us reading it today!
Jesus
Christ knocks at the door to seek and to save us!