i was trying to think of who would be a good example of the kind of person Zaccheus was. We need a short, corrupt, powerful man. Someone who had a reputation for lining his pockets, for giving favours.
. Rahm Emmanuel, the toxic mayor of Chicago, where your vote never dies, is quite short. He’ll do.
1He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
The NT passage today is Ephesians… praise God who predestined us for salvation… and this teaching has challenged everyone from the Church Fathers on. My mind hurts when I consider this paradox: I will leave it to Aquinas, Luther and Calvin.
What is more interesting is that Zaccheus repented. He gave away his idol — his wealth — and recompensed those he cheated.
But that required us getting our hands dirty and meeting with a corruptocrat. The challenge we are facing is that our society is effete, and wants us not to challenge them as Jesus did Zaccheus, but instead demands Jesus approves of their very corruption.Which we cannot do. We can meet: we cannot compromise.
And the most corrupt, the man who Rahm himself would shun because he is that noxious, is also a child of God. He needs to repent, and find salvation. Today and all days. As do we.