Zacchaeus and The Path to Salvation

There was once a man called Zacchaeus who lived in Jericho. He was a short man, not that this really mattered, but he was a senior tax-collector, and this really did matter. In the Roman Empire, tax-collectors were notorious extortionists. Not only was the job itself unpopular, but the way they made their living required what could have been interpreted as theft. The Roman contracted these men to collect a certain amount of money, anything more they could get, would be theirs. As such, tax collectors were considered the lowest of the low! Zacchaeus was a rich man, so he was good at his job.

One day, news spread that Jesus was in town. Zacchaeus was curious to see what all the fuss was about. He raced down to where Jesus was, but the crowd was thick and, as I mentioned, he was only a short man. So, he ran ahead and climbed a tree to look down on Jesus as he passed by.

When Jesus arrived at this tree, he stopped and looked up, directly into the eyes of Zacchaeus. Stifling a laugh, he called up, “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house tonight!” What a scandal! How could this holy man even be contemplating associating with this horrible, immoral man. The rumblings grew louder and more hostile as poor Zacchaeus stumbled his way out of the tree.

Embracing Jesus warmly, Zacchaeus stood in front of the hostile crowd. Like a Dickensian Scrooge, reformed by the Ghosts of Christmas, Zacchaeus declares to Jesus, “Look, sir, I am going to give half of my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody, I will pay them back four times the amount.”

Jesus looked down on him with growing affection. Then raising his eyes to the crowd, declared, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.”

The story of Zacchaeus, demonstrates that salvation is an open invitation, but with it are challenges and the willingness to change our life? Like Zacchaeus, we are often tentative, guarded and careful when it comes to faith. While we want to see what this Jesus guy is all about, we often can’t get over the first hurdle. For Zacchaeus, he was too short, the crowd was too big, and Jesus was too far away. He could have easily given up here, like many of us, and gone home with a story of how he almost had an encounter with Jesus, but it just wasn’t for him. We blame the world and our circumstances.

Zacchaeus got over this and was determined to catch a glimpse. So, he climbs a tree to observe! From the safety of his high vantage point there must have been some comfort – he could get the experience (sort of) but he wouldn’t have to commit. Sound like anyone you know? From here, there would be no need to embarrass himself, and people wouldn’t look at him or judge him. He knew what everyone said and thought of him – a safe distance was best.

Imagine his surprise when he was called by name. There was no place left to hide. He was drawn directly into the encounter, and worse still, he was asked to show the mark of hospitality, to accept this man into his home. Here came his next choice. Do I accept the invitation, or do I pretend I can’t hear, ignore it or even run away? Zacchaeus has a choice to stay in the tree at his safe distance. If he does this, he may know ABOUT Jesus without ever really experiencing him.

Jesus invites himself into Zacchaeus’ life, not the other way around. In the same way, He wants to experience us, to see what is important to us, what our decisions are, what we love. We have a God who wants to know us as much as (if not more) than we seek to know Him. He cares about who we are and what we do – it is a deeply comforting but disturbing thought. In the intimacy of our relationship with God there is no hiding. He will see me warts and all. He will see my messy life, my messy home, my messy hear…BUT, he WILL meet me where I am on MY journey, and he will eat with me and love me and forgive me.

So, Zacchaeus takes up the joy of the encounter, and in doing so, sees all that Jesus has offered him. He opens up to him, but, as mentioned, in doing so, he reveals all his faults. Like all of us, with a friend coming for dinner, he needs to clean up before his guest arrives. He needs to right the wrongs that the messiness of his life has created, both physically and spiritually. For Zacchaeus, this begins with two acts – one of charity and one of repentance. He can give to those in need to appease his guilt – but does this change him? Sure, the poor are less burdened, but this would not require him to change anything about his life. How much of our philanthropy is to appease our own guilt and the judgement of others, to justify our own lavish lifestyles through the side effect of helping someone else. No, there must be more! This requires a transformation of heart and deed. Zacchaeus will stand in front of the crowd and admit that he HAS cheated people. This is brave – a collective gasp! He will take on his sin, but he will make penance for this. He will change his life, right his wrongs and live for righteousness. And in doing so, salvation will come to his house!

Like Zacchaeus, sometimes we just need to opportunity to fix our lives and relationships with others and with our God. It is constantly on offer waiting for you. However, you need to seize it, to accept the invitation, open our spiritual house and lives, fess up, clean up and make amends. Here lies the path to salvation.

Dr Nathan Leber