Salvation Does Not Discriminate

𝐍𝐎𝐕. 𝟏𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝟐 𝐌𝐚𝐜 𝟔:𝟏𝟖-𝟑𝟏

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟑:𝟐-𝟕 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟏𝟗: 𝟏-𝟏𝟎

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑻𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆.” (𝒗.9)

         We are all aware that the world moves at a constant pace and our lives move with it. From the modern world that we left behind a decade ago, we now come to grips with the post-modern world in which relativism has taken a life of its own especially in modern societies. With the decline in the quality of education in many institutes of learning, the young steps into the new world with practically no knowledge of who God is.

         There is no doubt the advent of communications and new technologies have made life easier and convenient but as technologies have progressed so are those who use them. Having the latest gadgets has become the in thing and at times people also must do a complete makeover in order to belong. People nowadays are so enamored by the way they want to be perceived by others that they try to live their lives in the way they want to be portrayed.

        Today we choose our friends and the people we go out with. They must be in the same social circle as we are, and we try to create our own standards and live in it. Hypocrisy has become a trait that many among us have contracted spiritual amnesia and have drifted away from the practice of our baptismal faith. 

         This may be the case for some of us, but this was not so for Jesus who also have to live with the hypocrisy that abound during his time when people are also classified eithers as clean or unclean. And this was also the situation that Zacchaeus had to contend with.

         Zacchaeus was one of the most hated men of his time and nobody in his right mind would dare spend time to have dinner with this notorious tax collector. Certainly not the Pharisees and not even the people of Jericho who hated him and treated him with contempt. As a tax official employed by the Romans Zacchaeus was considered a traitor or an unclean person.

         In exchange for their loyalty to the Roman empire, tax collectors like Zacchaeus were allowed to levy and collect taxes that are more than what was prescribed. And Zacchaeus was a crooked tax collector because he helped himself with the taxes that he collect from the people and this was the reason the people treat him with utmost contempt. To them, Zacchaeus was not only a traitor but a sinner of the first degree as well.

         This was the reason why it came as a big surprise when Jesus stopped and looked at Zacchaeus, who climbed a sycamore-fig tree to get a glimpse of Jesus, and said: “𝒁𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒖𝒔, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚. 𝑰 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚.” (𝒗.5) We could imagine the murmuring and protestation that followed the scenario when Zacchaeus came down and led Jesus to his house.

         And for Zacchaeus who merely wanted to see Jesus for he had already heard of his uncompromising brand of preaching and healings, what Jesus said was not only a surprise, but it provided him with the opportunity to recover even a little of his reputation that was lost on account of his profession.

         As a tax collector who keeps the excess of the prescribed tax that he collects, Zacchaeus was considered wealthy by Jewish standards, but he was not happy. Deep inside he was probably remorseful at the things he had done in his life. We surely don’t know what was running inside Zacchaeus’ head at the time, but nothing would stop him.

         He was short in appearance and so he had to climb a sycamore-fig tree, and the rest is history. In any society, there are certain groups of people who move and act with irritating misdemeanor. And today, we are faced with the reality that there are those whom people know to be corrupt and immoral but who nevertheless advance in their lives in terms of wealth and position.

         But should we envy them or hate them as the Pharisees did. We shouldn’t because we really don’t know what’s going on in their lives. Like Zacchaeus they may also be restless and unhappy notwithstanding the seeming comfort they are enjoying.

         What Jesus did in inviting Zacchaeus to come down from the tree was to show that love should be encompassing and that even sinners are entitled to hear the Good News. Despite his wealth, Zacchaeus probably was no longer happy with the kind of hate that he had to live with, and he needed to see Jesus.

         And when he finally came down and met Jesus, Zacchaeus got more than what he asked for. He merely wanted to see Jesus but now he walks in the company of a distinguished prophet and preacher who has raised the dead to life, given sight to the blind, made the lame walk, and cast out evil spirits from those possessed by the demon.

         Although the Scriptures did not describe the scenario, Zacchaeus was probably grinning from ear to ear because he must have felt that all his bad reputation have become a thing of the past as he led Jesus towards his house to have dinner with him. By tradition, only friends are invited by household owners to have dinner with them.

        But this scenario has a two-fold dimension to it. Zacchaeus may have been hosting Jesus to dinner, but it is Our Lord who was hosting the tax collector to his table of Grace when he called on Zacchaeus to come down.

         Overwhelmed by the presence of Jesus in his house, Zacchaeus did what for most of the people was unthinkable. He did not only have a change of heart, but he showed his true repentance by giving half of his wealth to the poor and the other half to make payments and restitution for the corruption that he perpetrated. This went far beyond what was legally necessary in those days and this change had a lasting effect on how the people perceived him.

         “𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆” (𝒗.9) and what followed was a shocker to the Pharisees when Jesus said: “𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒎.” Despite the protests as the Pharisees would not want to admit that a corrupt tax collector was a son of Abraham, Jesus merely showed that heritage was not an assurance that one can be saved but faith was what will bring back the lost and be forgiven and made new.

         Like Zacchaeus, there is a need for us to find our own sycamore-fig tree on which we could climb to see Jesus for there are times when we could not see Jesus from where we are comfortably seated unmindful of the cares and concerns of the world around us.

        To climb a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus was a sign of humility especially for a wealthy man like Zacchaeus. And who among us would do the same. What we should not forget is that we are also sinners like Zacchaeus and at some point, in time, we all need to find our way to see Jesus as the despised tax collector did.

         Perhaps our own story will end in the same way as Zacchaeus did for “𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕.” (𝒗.10) We are lost when we wander away from God even with so-called menial sins, but Our Lord is there to make his home in us, and we need to make room for him in our hearts. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘕𝘰𝘷. 18, 2025)