Zaccheaus was a tax collector, a sinner. In our Lord’s day, the tax collectors weren’t only responsible for collecting the taxes due to Caesar but were also notorious extortionists, demanding from those who could not afford it more than was due in order to pocket some for themselves. Zaccheaus was such a man—notorious, ill liked, resented.
And yet, of all the people that came out to see Jesus that bright day in Jericho 2,000 years ago, Jesus stopped at this man, Zaccheaus, to the consternation and surprise, even outrage, of many.
Why did the Lord call up to Zaccheaus? Why Zaccheaus? What did Zaccheaus do to deserve such an honor? Christ God dines in his house and brings salvation to him and his household. If we too desire to meet the Savior, we do well to pay attention to the lesson of Zaccheaus.
You see, Zaccheaus has something often lacking: single-minded zeal to see the Lord. He is bent on seeing Him, being near Him. Zaccheaus, whatever his past sins and transgressions—and from what we gather—they may have been many, refuses to let them hinder him in his desire to see God. There aren’t any promises anything else will happen, just that maybe he will see and be near Christ. That’s all. That’s his hope and faith—and that means everything to him because Zaccheaus, better than most, has understood some of the truth of Christ: that He is the Messiah, God Incarnate, Who “fills all in all” (Eph. 1:23). In Him alone, “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). He alone is “the One thing needful” (Lk. 10:42). We know this because it’s this truth of God and salvation in Him that alone can change hearts—a heart like Zaccheaus’.
Zaccheaus has understood this—the reality of who Christ is—better than even some of His closest followers. And yet, of all people there, Zaccheaus could have been disqualified from seeing the Lord on at least two counts: one, because of his past sins against the people, and two, because of his short stature. How can the impure come before the Pure One? How can a man of such short stature hope to see the King whom everyone is clamoring to see?
Precisely! This is what faith looks like! Of all the people there, Zaccheaus demonstrates such true and great faith. His faith is humble: he’s not thinking he’s greater than everyone else, worthy to see and encounter Christ; no, he’s content just to see the Christ, the long-awaited Savior of the world, and Zaccheaus won’t be deterred from his goal. Zaccheaus is desirous of a change of heart, of repentance, and the transformation only life in Christ brings.
Christ, knowing Zaccheaus’ humble zeal to see Him and his accompanying repentant spirit, gives him more than could be imagined: a personal encounter with Him, an opportunity to know Him, to be received and restored by Him who alone is God. Christ says, “Zaccheaus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” What good news for Zaccheaus!
Those who see this are astounded, shouting: “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Here too, Jesus is teaching us that we aren’t to look at the past sins—known or unkown of ourselves or others: the Lord always looks toward our repentance, our redemption, our liberation from our past. He’s always bent on our renewal, our healing and salvation.
Christ’s love for us is also demonstrated here: It’s one thing for us to run after Christ, but this story with Zaccheaus and others, shows us clearly that Christ comes to us, sin-sick as we are, and desires our restoration and repentance, so that He can enjoy communion with us. This is such a clear picture of the love and mercy of God! Christ God doesn’t overlook Zaccheaus’ sin, for an unrepentant Zaccheaus would not have brought the Master to him. No, it isn’t that that he overlooks the sins of any of us, it’s rather that He sees Zaccheaus’ repentance: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 50). Such a heart is fitting to be with the God of love and mercy who always desires our healing and salvation.
St. Tikhnon of Zadonsk articulates Christ’s love here in this way: “I should have come to You as a transgressor of Your law. I should have fallen at Your feet, cast myself down before You, humbly begging forgiveness, pleading with You and craving Your mercy. But you yourself have come to me, wretched and good-for-nothing servant that I am; my Lord has come to me…”
Each of us has the opportunity to be like Zaccheaus, to open our ‘house’, our souls to Him, to desire to encounter Him more, to invite Him into those raw, wounded, broken, sin-sick rooms of our own souls, so that He, the Great Physician, can heal them, make them whole and fit for communion with Him, Who is the Lord of All.
What are your handicaps, your past sins or diseases of the soul, impediments to seeing and growing in and getting to Christ? We each need to ask ourselves this question. The Triodion is upon us, our Lenten journey is before us. The greatest opportunity of the year for repentance, healing, and growth is coming. Will you be like Zaccheaus? Are you willing to put away your past, your broken patterns, your limited vision, and get to Christ, to really see Him?
Zaccheaus didn’t satisfy himself with pious feelings; instead, he puts repentance into action: He promises that he will “restore fourfold” anyone he’s defrauded, giving half his goods to the poor. Such an outpouring is the fruit and proof of his repentant heart and knowledge of the true God.
Have you been neglecting any spiritual disciplines and tools of the Church? Now is the time to renew that commitment before the Lord—now, as salvation draws nigh, as Christ seeks out whom He will dine with. He seeks out the open and repentant heart, the one who desires more of Him, an encounter and experience, more communion with Him.
Christ stands before us. He’s ready to receive us if we prepare ourselves through repentance. Christ proclaims, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20). This is the love and mercy that Christ shows to Zaccheaus. This is Christ’s love and mercy to us as well.
If we truly want to see Jesus, if we desire to know Him, and His healing and salvation, if we want to receive Him when He visits us, if we are convinced that Christ is Life and that apart from Him there is no other life, if we believe the eyewitness accounts of the millions of Saints that have come before us of the reality of changed lives, then we, like Zaccheaus, need to make our life in Christ the number one priority, “the One thing needful” in our lives as well.
We can always make excuses, or we can overcome our own ‘handicaps’, the patterns of giving into our sins, our past, the doubts we ourselves have about ourselves or that others have put on us; we can actively repent and, we can zealously open our hearts to see Christ, to desire more of Christ, doing whatever is needed to make room for Him to come into us our ‘house’ as well, to cleanse us, to make us whole, to visit us with His love, healing, and salvation as we prepare for the holy season of transformation before us.
Fr. Robert Miclean
Holy Archangels Orthodox Church
Sunday of Zacchaeus
17 February 2013
Epistle: I Timothy 4:9-15
Gospel: Luke 19:1-10
