31st Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
November 3, 2019
Luke 19:1-10
In the time of Jesus, there are at least two kinds of taxes. The first tax goes to the Temple of Jerusalem. This is a “sacred tax”. Those who collect them are performing a sacred duty, and those who pay are fulfilling their due to God. Yet, the second tax is exacted by the Roman government. In order to effectively get the taxes, the Romans employs the local collaborators. The Jews are heavily burdened by this tax because they are unjustly hefty, and often collected by coercion. The Jews understandably loathe those Jewish tax collectors who willingly betray their own people and are involved in greedy malpractices. These are the worst sinners, unclean, corrupt and traitors.
Certainly, Joseph, Mary and Jesus as a poor family, are having a difficult time to pay taxes themselves, and perhaps, fall victims to greedy tax collectors. However, despite this bitter reality, Jesus has a different attitude towards tax collectors. He is known to be the friends of tax collectors and sinners [Mat 11:19]. He shares his table with tax collectors [Luk 5:30]. He presents the tax collector as the protagonist in his parable, while the Pharisee as the bad guy [Luk 18:9ff]. One of His disciples, Matthew, is used to be a tax collector before he leaves everything and follows Jesus.
Today, we listen to the story of Zacchaeus, not ordinary tax collector, but the chief. Despite his high position and richness, he is a small stature. Thus, people look down on him both in a physical and religious sense. Yet, Jesus does something remarkable: He takes the initiative to look upon Zacchaeus who climbs the sycamore tree, calls him by name, and gets Himself invited to Zacchaeus’ house. This is unthinkable: the God-man calls and enters the house of the number-one public enemy in town. We notice that Jesus does not perform any earth-shattering miracles, but Jesus’ simple and loving gesture touches deeply Zacchaeus’ heart. Right there and then, he repents and ready to repair the damages he causes. Jesus declares, “Today salvation has come to this house (Lk. 19:2).”
What Jesus does deeply disturb the minds of orthodox Jews who prefer to distance themselves from the sinners, to avoid the contamination. Thus, they jeer at Jesus. Yet, Jesus takes the opposite direction: to enter the house and share a table even with the worst kind of sinners, chief tax collector, for one reason: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” (Lk. 19:10).
The Gospel offers us two attitudes towards our brothers and sisters who are struggling in their lives. We can choose whether like the crowd, to distance ourselves, and let them rot in hell, and even discourage any effort to embrace them, or like Jesus to takes the initiative to help them, even with simple gestures. It is true that when we open ourselves, there is no guarantee that our effort will be successful, and sometimes, we will get betrayed and hurt. Mother Teresa of Calcutta took care hundreds of homeless, but some of them turned against her and threw nasty gossips, and yet Mother Teresa continued to serve till the end of her life. Jesus has made His choice, so also many of His followers, now the choice is ours to make.
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP