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| “Zacchaeus” by James Tissot, 1886-96 |
Reading 1: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Eleazar, one of the foremost
scribes,
a man of advanced age and
noble appearance,
was being forced to open his
mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious
death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own
accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who
have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste
even for love of life.
Those in charge of that
unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long
acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of
his own providing,
such as he could legitimately
eat,
and to pretend to be eating
some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape
the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because
of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind
in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the
dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of
his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he
had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above
all
he would be loyal to the holy
laws given by God.
He told them to send him at
once
to the abode of the dead,
explaining:
“At our age it would be
unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think
the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien
religion.
Should I thus pretend for the
sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by
me,
while I would bring shame and
dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being,
I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive
or dead,
escape the hands of the
Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving
up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of
my old age,
and I will leave to the young
a noble example
of how to die willingly and
generously
for the revered and holy
laws.”
Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the
instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had
been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him
because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die
under the blows,
he groaned and said:
“The Lord in his holy
knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped
death,
I am not only enduring
terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with
joy in my soul
because of my devotion to
him.”
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model
of courage
and an unforgettable example
of virtue
not only for the young but
for the whole nation.
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Commentary on 2 Mc 6:18-31
The story of Eleazar given from the
Second Book of Maccabees is the companion story to that of the mother and her
seven sons (see 2
Mc 7:1-2, 9-14). These stories, while intended to serve as examples of heroic
courage and fidelity to God’s Law, were popular with early Christians because they
gave a solid theological underpinning to martyrdom.
CCC: 2 Mc 6:30 363
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 3:2-3,
4-5, 6-7
R. (6b) The Lord upholds me.
O LORD, how many are my
adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“There is no salvation for
him in God.”
R. The Lord upholds me.
But you, O LORD, are my
shield;
my glory, you lift up my
head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy
mountain.
R. The Lord upholds me.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD
sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of
people
arrayed against me on every
side.
R. The Lord upholds me.
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Commentary on Ps 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Psalm 3 is a
lament, singing of the plight of one attacked and oppressed by enemies on all
sides. These strophes are clearly an echo of King David’s sorrow, as all that
the Lord has given to him seems to be at risk with no sign that God will come
to his aid. In spite of this apparent abandonment, the singer has faith that
God will continue to defend his servant.
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Gospel: Luke 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho
Now a man there named
Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector
and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus
was;
but he could not see him
because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a
sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that
way.
When he reached the place,
Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down
quickly,
for today I must stay at your
house.”
And he came down quickly and
received him with joy.
When they saw this, they
began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the
house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and
said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my
possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted
anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times
over.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to
this house
because this man too is a
descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come
to seek
and to save what was lost.”
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Commentary on Lk 19:1-10
In this passage, we hear the story
of Zacchaeus, the tax collector, and Jesus. While still on his final journey to
Jerusalem, this encounter takes place in Jericho, on the western edge of Jordan
Valley, about six miles north of the Dead Sea, northeast of Jerusalem. Jesus
chooses Zacchaeus’ home for his resting place (an unpopular choice: “they
began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner’”).
Jesus uses this occasion to give us
a clear idea of why he came. When Zacchaeus tells him what he has done with his
material possessions, Jesus proclaims: “the Son of Man has come to seek and
to save what was lost.” The Lord's mission is salvation.
The story of Zacchaeus is another
of the stories unique to the Gospel of St. Luke. The tax collector exemplifies
the attitude the faithful should take. He detaches himself easily from his
wealth. Zacchaeus' offers go beyond what Mosaic Law calls for (assuming some of
his dealings were dishonest: Exodus 21:37; Numbers 5:5-7) to give
half of his possessions to the poor, and to make amends four times over for any
accounts he has wrongly settled. This action, the Lord tells those present, has
earned him salvation.
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Reflection:
Hearing the story of
Zacchaeus we probably think: “That’s really good advice for the wealthy.” That
was the point the Lord was making with his comment to the tax collector, right?
He undoubtedly spotted Zacchaeus in the tree and saw his fine clothes. Jesus
may have turned to one of the crowd of people around him and asked: “Who’s the
rich guy in the tree?” (It probably sounds much more formal in Aramaic.) At any
rate, he addressed him by name: “Zacchaeus,
come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house."
We are a little taken aback
by his presumption. This was not a question, it was an announcement, as if he
could have made that demand of anyone present. But then he recognized that
Zacchaeus was Hebrew, and as such was under the obligation of hospitality.
The response from Zacchaeus
was immediate. Not only did he accept the Lord’s statement eagerly, but he went
further, announcing publicly that he was donating half of what he owned to the
poor and anyone who he had wrongly charged, he would repay four times over.
(Tax collectors were not paid a salary, they were expected to take a portion of
what they were paid and typically padded the tax bill excessively.)
Now back to that opening
line: “That’s really good advice for the wealthy.” Scripture scholars do indeed
say this was the group Jesus was addressing with this story. But we, by the
standards of the modern world, are all wealthy. We do not have to beg in order
to buy food, we do not depend upon others for survival as did the poor in the
Lord’s Day.
We are bound by Jesus’
injunction. Today we hear the Lord addressing us: “for today I must stay at your house." Again the Lord makes a
statement, not a request. We are his disciples after all and we should, like
Zacchaeus, be honored that he has chosen us. And what shall we tell the Lord?
“Lord I am honored but I gave at the office.” Or “I’d love to have you over but
I have other plans.”
No, today the call is not
just to the wealthy. It is to each one of us. It is the call to love one
another once more. We are commanded to share what we have with those in need,
be that material resources or time and effort. The Lord calls us by name today
and tells us - today I must stay at your house. What is our response?
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Zacchaeus” by James Tissot, 1886-96.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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