Year C Proper 26 - October 30, 2022
Zacchaeus
In the Name of El Roi, which means, God who sees me. Let us see and be seen by you. Amen
Who here remembers the children’s Bible song about Zacchaeus?
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
A wee little man was he!
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Savior passed him by,
He looked up in the tree.
And he said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today!
For I’m going to your house today!
In our Gospel reading today, Zacchaeus is an outcast, and is called a “sinner” because of his occupation as a tax collector. We read about his life-changing encounter with Jesus, and find that Jesus was seeking him all along. This narrative calls the reader – you and I – to look for evidence of the Holy One in our lives, and we, too, will find that Jesus has been seeking us all along. These Holy Encounters are salvific, life-changing moments. Let’s take a closer look.
Jesus is on his final journey toward Jerusalem, where he and the twelve will share the Last Supper, and where he will be arrested. Luke is the only Gospel that includes Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus. This year, we have come to know the Lukan author as someone who cares deeply about the poor, who describes the upside-down Kingdom of God, and who brings to life stories of holy encounters with God.
Zacchaeus, a rich man who is despised by his community, is giddy and childlike, running ahead to see Jesus and climbing up a tree of all things. He doesn’t care about how he is perceived by others; rather, he cares about seeing Jesus. And, as Jesus journeys with the infamous “crowd” in Luke, Jesus sees Zacchaeus. Jesus looks up to Zacchaeus, treats him with respect and honor, sees that Zacchaeus is a child of Abraham – one of his own! – and calls him to come down. He tells Zacchaeus that he is going to Zacchaeus’ home for a visit, and this makes Zacchaeus happy.
We cannot tell the story of Zacchaeus without talking about his notable generosity. In this Gospel, Luke has emphasized, repeatedly, the importance of caring for the poor with one’s financial resources. Zacchaeus announces that he gives half of his possessions to the poor! And to those whom he has defrauded, he gives back four times as much. Jesus commends Zacchaeus for his generosity and for his care for the poor.
So the salvific turning point in this story is Jesus’ recognition and embrace of someone who is an outcast, labeled as a sinner. And Zacchaeus’ openness and excitement to encounter God.
Just as God met Zacchaeus, and Zacchaeus experienced salvation and joy, God will meet you and sees you! Climb up that sycamore tree, and watch for God in your day-to-day life!
How does this story call us to respond? This story not only calls each of us to climb that sycamore tree to look for God in our lives, but also calls us to systemic change. We are desperate for systemic change:
in our world to rethink how we address relationships between nations;
in our country to continue working toward reconciliation and healing from the racism that still runs deeply in our veins;
in our state, as we continue to be divided, we continue to isolate and limit affordable housing, and even withhold food stamps from certain felons;
And in our churches. We are called to systemic change here at Trinity.
I appreciate the words of Puerto Rican Pastor and Professor Lis Valle-Ruiz’, as she describes how this story calls the church to systemic change, and it has three parts:
This story calls the Church to look up to those whom society marginalizes, to treat them with respect, and to honor their efforts to accommodate their own shortcomings, which are caused by the same systems. These systems may be political, social, economic, and religious.
This story calls the pious to come down from hierarchies, because the right thing to do is to host our own people.
And, this story calls the pious to stand there and proclaim that we will begin or continue the practices of charity and reparations.
Let us work together toward systemic change.
In closing, remember that opportunities to encounter God are all around us. As we prepare ourselves for Eucharist, we are reminded that communion is one of these Holy opportunities. All of these Holy Encounters foreshadow our final hope one day, when all of creation is made new, and all relationships are made right. Climb your sycamore tree to look for Jesus in your life, because Jesus sees you, and will meet you in that place. Amen
The Rev. Deacon Lisa Aguilar