Commentary
The Joy of God’s Forgiveness
There are two conflicting
reactions to Jesus and his treatment of Zacchaeus.
The people who are with Jesus “begin
to grumble” because he is going to the house of a sinner.
Prior to this incident, this kind
of reaction was typical of the Pharisees and scribes when they criticized Jesus
for welcoming, and for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. [1]
This
time, they “all” grumble. And in this case, the pronoun “they” refers to the disciples and all those who
have been traveling with Jesus as he continues his journey to Jerusalem.
Why do they all grumble? Is it because unlike other tax collectors who
Jesus reaches out to before, Zacchaeus is a big time “bad guy”? He is “the chief tax collector.” His crime is well known. Or is
it because Zacchaeus seems to get off the hook too easily? Probably both!
Zacchaeus, on the contrary, “receives
Jesus with joy.”
Like his fellow tax collector
in the parable of last week’s Gospel passage (Luke 18: 9-14), Zacchaeus acknowledges
that he is a sinner. He climbs the tree “for
he is short in stature.” But can this
explanation also indicate his moral stature in the eyes of the people around
Jesus? Morally, he surely is “short in
stature.” He probably knows that he does
not belong in that crowd.
And like the other tax
collector, Zacchaeus accepts God’s mercy.
As a result, he can “receive [Jesus] with joy.”
To admit that one is a sinner, and to accept God’s
forgiveness are the conditions of joy.
--------------------
[1] Luke 5:30 and 15:2, Footnote, The New American Bible, Revised Edition, 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment