Common wisdom says that the loftier one’s position in a corrupt system, the greater one’s complicity in that system. Our dear friend Zacchaeus was high up in the Roman government’s corrupt taxation system. Luke’s gospel makes a point of that. He was a chief tax collector and, he was rich. Zacchaeus was caught between his private religious practice and his public profiting and participation in a tax system that dealt crushing blows to other people… many of whom I assume would be members of his synagogue. But he too, says Jesus, is a child of Abraham.
Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is passing through Jericho. Wanting to see who Jesus was, Zacchaeus leaves his office, runs ahead of the crowd, and climbs up a sycamore tree. Turns out, he was short in stature. I have a soft spot for Zacchaeus even though most of his neighbours did not. You see, he had somehow heard of Jesus and in the middle of that, something was evoked in him which moved him to take the actions he took. We’ll never really know. What we can assume though, is that Zacchaeus was in pursuit of something that compelled him to climb the tree.
So Jesus passes by and sees Zacchaeus up the tree. Perhaps Jesus has been tipped off by his network and knows who this guy is. Perhaps not. Perhaps his intuition is giving him a vibe that this guy needs salvation… which means healing, made well or, made whole. Jesus eyeballs Zacchaeus and tells him to get down from the tree because he’s coming to stay at his house today. Imagine that. Jesus bridges right over Zacchaeus’ public situation and goes straight to the matter of creating room for salvation. Standing there, in the presence of God’s truth and wisdom, Zacchaeus makes amends right away—half his possessions he will give to the poor, and a four times payment will be made to anyone that he has defrauded.
In the process of being made whole or, made well, God’s salvation brings restitution for those harmed by corruption, establishes health and well-being in the community, and restores Zacchaeus’ relationship with the synagogue through the making of appropriate amends as outlined by the Torah.