Under the Sycamore Tree

Gospel Reflection for Tuesday, Nov. 18th, 2025 - Luke 19:1-10

Today’s gospel brings us face to face with a man, short in stature, yet towering in influence. This man, a chief tax collector, knows how to get his way, and is clever in doing so. And on this day, He is determined to set eyes on Jesus. So he maps out the path Jesus is taking, finds a tree along it, and climbs it to gain the advantageous view.

What unfolds next is an encounter of the heart — sudden, personal, and transformative. This wealthy, powerful man is rendered bare before the Lord in just a matter of words. Jesus calls him by name, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for I must stay at your house.” Can you imagine the confusion this must have caused? Yet, without hesitation 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. They cannot reconcile Jesus’ mercy with their own judgements: why enter the house of 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.

And Jesus, who sees the hearts of those He encounters, 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. Once spiritually adrift, his heart is now 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, a public sinner due to his job and the choices he has made.

He is considered too far gone, spiritually bankrupt — lost.

But Jesus’ proclamation today in the gospel shows us that no one is beyond His reach.

No one.

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 today is one of hope. That none of us, no matter our past, are beyond the Lord’s reach or mercy. It is also a story of the heart, and how encountering Christ daily changes our perspective, convicting us to change our ways, to acknowledge our sins and to truly live for Him.

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.”