17-Nov-15

Gospel LK 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.”
Reflection:
"Now, a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him...."
In Jesus' day, tax collectors were viewed as traitors, thieves and cheats. They worked for the enemy, the occupying Roman army. Their wealth was ill gained from overtaxing those least able to pay.
Zacchaeus could "not see" Jesus because he was blinded by greed and lack of compassion for those whom he cheated.
Why would such a man go to the extreme of climbing a tree to see Jesus who was known to be a man of God? Perhaps he was tired of being trapped in the vile way he had been living his life and yearned to be set free.
By climbing the tree to view our Lord, Zacchaeus opened the door of his heart.
Immediately, Jesus called to him and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly...."
Our Lord did not wait until Zacchaeus repented of his sins before calling him.
Instead, He called to Zacchaeus while he was still a sinner, saying, "I must stay at your house.”
When the time is ripe to move from darkness to light, there is no room for hesitation. When the Lord touches our heart and calls us to "come down" from that which separates us from him, we must "Carpe Diem," seize the moment.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20