Jesus Didn’t Wait for Zacheus to Repent

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Yesterday’s Gospel reading seems to contradict those who think sinners must repent before they can be in communion with the saved. As our (very orthodox) rector pointed out in his sermon, Jesus was ready to be a guest of Zacheus, a chief tax collector and thus a collaborator with the hated Roman occupiers, before Zacheus repented. Indeed, Jesus’ acceptance of Zacheus may have been the proximate cause of his repentance.

Here’s the reading, Luke 19:1-10, from a great Lectionary site:

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.

He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.

When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.

All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

(Paragraphing added. FOOTNOTE: There must be some reason the tree is specifically described as a sycamore tree. I wonder why that is.)

At the end of his sermon, our rector said something that surprised and gratified me. He’s very conservative in his beliefs. I believe he’s very much in sympathy with the self-styled Anglican Communion Network, which I think has been laying the groundwork to secede from the Episcopal Church. But he’s also a wonderful pastor, for the most part very accepting of those who don’t agree with him.

The rector commented (I paraphrase from memory) that from the perspective of Israel, Zacheus was a traitor, a collaborator with the hated Roman occupiers. But Jesus didn’t let that stop him from going to his house and even breaking bread with him — something for which Jesus was criticized.

The rector said this is a lesson for us today: We should not let differences among us stand in the way of communion, even with people we think are sinners.

Another logical inference from the Gospel story is that sometimes love and acceptance of sinners can lead to their repentance. That may well have been the case with Zacheus.

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5 responses to “Jesus Didn’t Wait for Zacheus to Repent”

2004-11-01

bls

I read a couple of things about the sycamore tree (I’m an avid amateur horticulturist). First, it’s actually a fig-mulberry tree, not like our sycamore. Second, it grows in the lowlands, so perhaps it’s descriptive of the area in which the story takes place. Third, it has low and wide branches, and so is easy to climb. Fourth, it bears fruit, but these are not delicious, so only the very poorest people eat it. It’s mentioned in Amos 7:14: “Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit…” IOW, it connotes a humble origin. Perhaps that’s symbolic.
Anyway, one the service leaflets at the parish where I went to services yesterday said this:

Zacchaeus repents – but that is after Jesus crosses his threshold. What comes first is the outrageous, scandalous grace, that does not excuse or gloss over the fault, but cuts right through it, bringing forgiveness and life.

And I thought it tied in perfectly with the last part of the Isaiah reading:
1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
1:18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

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2005-01-22

Daniel

I think it’s ok to “break bread” with the unsaved as long as your intentions are to witness to them… otherwise it would be a wrong thing to do.

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2006-01-14

Gnanaraj Lionel

Amazing Love! Amazing grace!!!!

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2007-06-25

David Yoakley

Don’t assume Zachy was rotten just because of what we know of his occupation. This is good stuff but its not really the central point Jesus is making. To see the point you have to realize that Jesus was very knowledgeable of the scripture and walked in the Jewish culture. The point is that those who were appointed as shepperds did not look after the sheep. In stead they were more concerned (in this case) of keeping clean (money was considered unclean and everyone who touched it. Most of the meat in this scripture actually comes from what Jesus said “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”. This is a reference to Ezek 34. A passage that the Pharisees and Sadducees knew. Read Ezec 34 and you will know what Jesus was saying here…and you will also see a statement God made of why God would come in the form of Jesus. This by the way is one reason Pharisees and Sadduces hated him…they knew (memorized) the old testament just as Jesus did since he was an observant Jew. So to reference Ezec 34 this way was a scathing remark about them for one.
david.yoakley@gmail.com

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2008-05-20

Lennox Nkosi

the only way to win nonbelievers to the kingdom of God is to mix with them, without compromising your position, they will not take note that you do not do much like them,as the only thing they need is love. Jesus Christ is a loving father, who are we to judge. He said he came to the world to save the poor, the hurt, the broken. Zacheus was not sure if he was to be acceptable by Jesus. He surrendered.

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