31st Sunday Year C - Homily 5

Homily 5 - 2022

Luke wrote that Zacchaeus “was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was”. That says quite a lot about Zacchaeus. He was apparently more than just curious. Something stronger was stirring in him — he seemed to have had a strong desire [Luke said “anxious”] to make sure, for himself, “what kind of man Jesus was”.

I wonder what the energy was that fuelled Zacchaeus’s strong desire. I wonder what sort of man he hoped Jesus might be. Whatever it was, it must have been powerful — powerful enough to move Zacchaeus to risk making a fool of himself before a crowd of people who already despised him more than enough. Jesus had apparently never preached in Jericho before. Probably like the rest of the crowd, Zacchaeus may have heard about him from others. He wanted to check out for himself; and hoped that just seeing Jesus might be enough to confirm his hopes.

Probably Zacchaeus knew himself well enough to appreciate that, despite all his wealth, he was restless. He yearned for more, but was not sure what that “more” might be. Did he hope that Jesus might have the answer? More than that, did he hope that Jesus himself might be the answer?

I suppose that our reactions to those questions depend on our past experiences, and on how well we know ourselves. Today’s Gospel may be the invitation to stop long enough to discover if we ourselves ever felt a strong desire like that of Zacchaeus? Do we feel a restless longing to come to know Jesus personally, even better than we know him now? I do.

There is another thing in today’s story that gets me thinking, and that is the response of the townspeople to Jesus when he invited himself to a meal in Zacchaeus’s house. Luke wrote: “They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said.” I think that their response was only too typical — and I am concerned that perhaps in these days, social media aggravate that kind of reaction.

In the minds of the Jericho crowd, Zacchaeus was a “sinner” — because he was a tax-collector for their Roman rulers. The temple authorities imposed even heavier taxes than the Romans. We hear nothing, however, about the priests being labelled “sinners”. In fact, Zacchaeus seemed to have been at heart an amazingly generous man. But the common label was enough for everyone to ostracise him.

It is so easy to categorise people, especially those we disagree with; so easy to lump people in together, saying something like, “They’re all the same” — and choosing no longer to listen to them. I worry about the vicious polarising that is happening, at least in today’s Western cultures; and I worry about the way that I get caught up in it myself. Too easily I can feel spontaneously hostile towards someone who simply has an opinion different from one of mine.

“They all complained”. Hostility, negativity, seem to be powerfully contagious. In company we criticise people we would never bother to criticise otherwise. If I don’t join in, I feel “the odd one out”; I wonder what they will think of me.

What was Jesus’ response to all this? Jericho was Jesus’ last stop on his way to Jerusalem. Within a week he would be tried, found guilty by a “kangaroo court”, and crucified. He died because he was so utterly convinced that Love is the only way to heal/to save our otherwise painfully insecure, viciously competitive, and so often regularly hostile world. What else would we like Jesus to do?

Might we be a bit scared, hesitant, to learn “what kind of man Jesus was”?

There is a simple remedy.