In an Instant

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A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, October 30th, 2022:
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke
19.1-10

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 Jesus, 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 Zacchaeus hurried down and was happy to welcome Jesus. 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 of him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because Zacchaeus too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

The Gospels describe conversion to Jesus and his teachings in all sorts of ways.  Sometimes it’s through seeking, discerning, and arriving at the conclusion that Jesus is who He says He is based on evidence.  Someone like Nicodemus, for example.

Other times the conversion occurs in a heartbeat, the scales of their eyes removed in an instant (Acts 9.17-18). I like to think that this may have been the case for Zacchaeus. I envision him setting out on another day of tax-collecting, probably scheming on the way about who he would over-tax, margins he could take, and perhaps even who needed a bit of threatening.  Walking about the town as the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus would have grown to expect people to cower from him and avoid eye contact with him. He probably enjoyed the power he held over others.  

Then imagine he hears that Jesus is passing through Jericho. Maybe he thinks that Jesus is a curious trouble-maker, but he has to see for himself and, wanting a better view, rushes ahead of the gathering crowd to climb a tree. Jesus looks directly up at him and clearly says, “Zacchaeus.”  We will never know how God was preparing Zacchaeus’ heart for this encounter, but in that exact moment he is transformed and tells Jesus he will pay back and happily overcompensate those he has stolen from. He is standing straighter, his face softened, his eyes clearer with great expectation of what is to come.

On a far smaller scale my own story is a bit similar.  I had remained skeptical during my first Alpha course until week four when Nicky Gumbel was describing how Jesus knows us by name and wants a unique relationship with each one of us. In that instant, the penny dropped. It was such a stunning revelation that my mouth may have even dropped open and I knew this was all true and, better yet, was for me. I even rushed through the Alpha guests after small group to find Fr. James. “Father James!” I said breathlessly, “Do you know we get to have a relationship – a real relationship – with Jesus Christ?!”

He chuckled a bit, put his hand on my shoulder and kindly replied, “Yes Patty, I think I’ve heard something about that.” I suspect he knew the woman walking out of Alpha was very different from the one who walked in. And he was right.

So too was Zacchaeus, who began that day thinking about himself and what he was to gain, and finished his day as a new creation, mind and soul. Chains removed. Set free.

Finally, and taking some liberty here, I like to imagine the look on his wife’s face as Zacchaeus ran ahead into his home shouting, “Honeeeey, someone important is coming to stay tonight!” … as she observes her radiant husband transformed by an encounter with Jesus Christ who, that very day, has called him by name.




Patty Viscount

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