An Encounter of the Heart

Gospel Reflection for November 19th, 2024 - Luke 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.”

Today’s gospel highlights a man, short in stature, yet rich and wielding power with his high status as chief tax collector. This man knows how to get his way, and is clever in doing so. He is determined to set eyes on Jesus, and so he maps out the path Jesus is taking, finds a tree along it, and climbs it to gain the advantageous view.

What happens next is an encounter of the heart. This wealthy, powerful man is rendered bare before the Lord in a matter of words. Jesus says to this man, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for I must stay at your house” and he does, despite probably be accustomed to giving orders and not receiving them. Not only does he obey, he obeys with joy.

The crowd begins to grumble, how can Jesus dine with a sinner? But Zacchaeus remains fully transfixed, seemingly ignoring their derision, and responds directly to Jesus in the only way he knows how “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” not only referencing the Law of Moses but going above and beyond it.

Jesus responds with incredible love and mercy “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.”

An encounter of the heart.

The moment Jesus speaks to Zacchaeus his priorities shift. His heart is softened, he sees the injustice in his life, how his wealth has been made, and he remembers his faith. Zacchaeus offers a guilt offering to the Lord, and Jesus proclaims salvation, but He proclaims more. You see, Zacchaeus is a socially despised individual, an outcast, yes with means, but isolated all the same. He is considered too far gone, spiritually bankrupt and lost.

Jesus’ proclamation shows us that no one is beyond His reach. That one encounter with Him is enough to change our entire lives. So powerful is this simple encounter that our hearts may experience graces abounding and love never ending.

The story Zacchaeus is one of hope, that none of us no matter our past are beyond the Lord’s reach. It is also a story of the heart, and how encountering Christ daily lays our hearts bare before the Lord, convicting us to change our ways, to acknowledge our sins and to live for Him.