Weekly HOMILY for November 4, 2007: Jesus and Zacchaeus: Three Lessons for Our Time

31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
October 31, 2007

Focus: The Story of Zacchaeus has three lessons to teach us
Function: Through the stature of Zacchaeus and how Jesus treats him there are concrete things we could do to make better choices
Form: Story/Reflection

Jesus and Zacchaeus: Three Lessons for Our Time
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Jan Leno is Short

Back on September 18, 2001, after a full week’s absence after the terrorist attacks, Jay Leno returned to host NBC’s Tonight Show.

Leno opened that show very reflectively. He said, “In a world where people fly airplanes into buildings for the sole purpose of killing innocent people, a job like mine seems irrelevant.”

Leno then told a story from when he was a 12-year-old Boy Scout in his hometown of Andover, Massachusetts. He was not a very skilled scout, but his scoutmaster believed that every scout should get something special to do in the troop.

So one day the scoutmaster said, “Leno, you’re going to be the troop’s cheer master. When you see another Scout who’s down or upset, your job is to go over and tell that Scout a joke and make him feel better.”

Leno went on to say that he liked doing that and, of course, he still has that job. He said, “I don’t see it as the most important job, but we can all help one another in some way.”

Jay Leno’s reflection is a good introduction to what I want to say about the story in today’s Gospel. I see three insights in this touching little story about a man named Zacchaeus.


1. We Are All Short

First, Jay Leno sees himself as small, as short in stature, in relation to the big picture of life.

Today’s Gospel carefully notes that this Jewish fellow Zacchaeus is “short in stature.” That is why he climbs a tree to see Jesus.

The insight here is that we are all “short in stature,” at least in relation to God. We all need to climb a tree to see God; we all need to do something to see beyond whatever is blocking our vision, our horizon.

We may need to shut out the music, the news, or the talk shows for a few minutes every day – just to think, just to get in touch with ourselves, just to be alone with God.

It may be relating more closely to a “wisdom figure” in our lives, an older trusted friend, a priest or counselor, a support group of some sort.

Yes, we are all short in stature and like Zacchaeus we need to make some extra effort to welcome Jesus into our lives.


2. Accept; Don’t Judge

The second insight is that we notice that Jesus accepts and does not judge Zacchaeus.

Like most tax collectors of his day, Zacchaeus was probably guilty of greed and extortion. Because of this, his fellow townspeople were shocked that Jesus would even go to his home, much less dine with him!

One Scripture scholar says that Jesus does not expect a change of heart from Zacchaeus, without first sharing conversation or communicating with him.

So Jesus uses this communion, this being in-union-with-others, to draw them closer to himself and to God.

There is a great lesson here for us in our own relationships, maybe in dealing with sons or daughters who do things that we cannot approve.

There may also be a modeling on Jesus’ part when we’re tempted to stand apart and even cut off others who are not following the Lord in the way that we think is important.


3. Seek Out the Short

The third and last insight: Jesus reaches out to this man Zacchaeus as one who is short of stature.

We too need to reach out to those who are “short of stature” in terms of their social standing, be they immigrants or folks making minimum wage.

As we find ourselves in the midst of a presidential campaign, we need to be careful to let all those whom we judge “short in stature” to speak their mind and to listen with respect to their views.

And we need a politics of care for those who are short of stature in our country: for example, for the millions who live below the poverty line, for the 44 million who have no health insurance, for the women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

We even need to reach out – and it is risky to say this – even to the Islamic world.

Apparently they feel that they are short in stature and our reaching out to them in the long run will be the only way to resolve the hostility between our culture and theirs.

Reaching out to the short in stature, as Jesus did, is not an easy task.


Conclusion

So, a short man, Zacchaeus, a little Bible story, but a man and a story with powerful lessons and insights for us today!

Three great lessons for our times: (1) We are all short in stature in relation to God, (2) We need to welcome and not reject those who are spiritually short, and (3) we need to reach out to those who are socially short.