Curious Zacchaeus

Tom
Below are my thoughts on your article in The Catholic Weekly November 2-8 2013.
Zacchaeus curiosity about Jesus started when and how? We’re not really told in the Gospel story from Luke 19:1-10. I believe it was from listening to people that had either seen Jesus first hand or had heard stories about his healings and teachings. If so what stories are we telling today to spike one’s curiosity? Thus like all of us, if an important person was going to be in our town we might try and get a glimpse of them from a position where we might have the best visual point. For us that might mean hanging out of a window of a building, standing on top of a car, walking on stilts or climbing a light pole. We too might look a little ridiculous to others but, our curiosity would get the best of us would it not?
Then imagine that important person calling you down and speaking to you saying I must spend some time with you lets go to your house. This important person would not call you by name, for he does not know your name. Your heart is pounding and your emotions are running wild. You alone have this person decided to spend time with verses all the other people. All the other people would be cursing you and asking who do you think you are? Saying look at me I am the important one I have status above all these others.
What would our answer be? Would we be able to think or speak?
From this encounter how would our lives be change or would they be changed?
Zacchaeus did not just meet an important person he met Jesus. Thus in Zacchaeus curiosity which made him to turn to Jesus, Zacchaeus encounters The Son of God. The same way we do today when we turn or return to Jesus.
In this encounter we to are called to clean up our relationships with others. Reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” What is our gift except our very selves?
Then to we might hear Christ proclaim to us “salvation has come to this house”.
Christ knows us and knows our name and will only denies us if we deny him. As Matthew 10:32-34 points out “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Before Zacchaeus turn to Jesus he was trusting in his own self and his own possessions. Of which we to can find ourselves are doing today when we take unnecessary detours in our true life’s journey.
So Zacchaeus like us could be looked at by the crowd as a sinner not worthy of anyone’s attention. This is ok for we should not want anyone’s attention we should only want Jesus’s attention. Which means we need to pay attention to Jesus in the many ways that our open to us to be open to Jesus.
Being curious is good sometimes. Being curious about God and allowing nothing to stand in our way to encounter the Son of the living God Christ Jesus, for he is the pivotal point of one true identity and life.
If we embrace each day expectantly and even more so when called to the table of the Word and Eucharist we will be changed and we will find truth, peace and love.
For it is Jesus Christ the Son of God and God the Father and The Holy Spirit that called Zacchaeus by name, whom also calls us by name. Salvation came to Zacchaeus in and through and by Jesus many years ago. Today salvation comes to _______________ (insert your name for Christ wants too) in and through and by Jesus. THANKS BE TO GOD!
What we are to strive for in life is to imitate Christ. To live humanly with all our humanistic instincts and characteristics yet fully turning over our free will to the Father through Jesus Christ with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus affording us to cooperate completely with the Father’s divine will. As Christ showed us is possible as He too walked in the footsteps of humanity and still cooperated fully with His Father’s divine will.
We, fully human can cooperate fully with the divine will of the Father when we maintain our true status which is in Christ, with Christ and through Christ. The divinity or our true existences well shine forth the divinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It is in this state of existence and through this state that the reality of the truth that Christ was and is fully human and fully God gives us a glimpse of the divine mysteries. These divine mysteries keeps us and forms us and bring us peace yet, pushes us forward to what we do not yet see. For the expectation of what is yet to be revealed is the hope for what is yet to be experienced in its complete fullness the anticipated face to face with God.
with Christ Love
and mine
Paul
I enjoyed the article about Zacchaeus = well-written and interesting, please go forward with these excellent essays! Zacchaeus means pure — there’s another message going on in the background, the short in stature, pure one, who collects the taxes (repentance) — to his house salvation (Jesus) comes — was Zacc a Greek? thank you very much, yours in Christ, Paul
Tillie
I enjoyed your reflection on Zacchaeus. Curiosity is important and leads us in various directions, even climbing up trees! Or other actions like following Jesus.
Miriam
Thanks for the commentary on Zacchaeus and the “grace of curiosity”!