Luke 19: 1 - 10
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 And there was a man named Zacchae'us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.
3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today."
6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold."
9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."
(Luke 19:1-10) - This is an episode recounted only in Luke. The story is marked with Irony, since Zacchaeus sought with great effort to see Jesus (19:3-4), only to discover that Jesus was seeking him (19:10)! Despite his riches (19:2), Zacchaeus held a loose grip on his wealth and so gave generously to the poor (19:8).
(19:2) Chief Tax Collector: Possibly the head of a taxing district in charge of other colelectors. Most tax collectors were suspected of dishonesty and despised as sinners (19:7). See note on (Mark 2:14).
(19:8)fourfold: The most stringent standard of restitution for theivery (Ex 22:1) (CCC 2412).
(19:9) son of Abraham: Israel traced its ancestry to the patriarch (Is 51:1-2). Zacchaeus showed himself a true descendent by his repentance (3:12-13) and faith (Rome 4:12). Abraham us an important figure in Luke (1:55, 73; 13:16; 16:22).
(19:10) A Lucan summary of Jesus' mission as the "Saviour" (2:11; 5:32; 9:24; 15:3-32).
Saint Quote of the Day:
"Even the heretics appear to have Christ, for none of them denies the name of Christ. Yet, anyone who does not confess all that pertains to Christ does in fact deny Christ."
-- St.Ambrose of Milan
