How To Find God
Zacchaeus Sunday
1 Timothy 4:9-15; Luke 19:1-10
In all countries of the world, when a distinguished person arrives in a solemn procession, people seek out places on both sides of the road in order to obtain the best view of that distinguished person and his entourage. Children, as often happens, climb the surrounding trees.
But has anyone ever seen a middle-aged or older person climb a tree in such a case? Obviously, everyone will say that this does not usually happen. If one of the older people had climbed a tree in such a case, people might have thought that such a person lacked something in their head.
However, as the evangelist testifies, precisely such an unusual incident happened: when Jesus, surrounded by a crowd of people, was walking through the city, one of the respected citizens of the city of Jericho, Zacchaeus -- a public tax collector, a man who was obviously not young--climbed a tree.
Zacchaeus was in his right mind; the entire gospel story further testifies to that. Most people considered him a great sinner, an extortionist, and that is what he probably was. Nevertheless, he had heard about Jesus from Nazareth, about His divine actions. He must have learned that at the entrance to the city, Jesus had healed the man born blind - made him sighted.
And so, Zacchaeus wanted to see that extraordinary Jesus who does the works of God. In spite of his sinfulness, Zacchaeus was obviously troubled by his conscience. He was restless and urgently wanted to see Jesus, and because he was small in stature he climbed a tree, paying little attention to the respect his age and his position as a public official accorded him.
Zacchaeus did not consider it a shame to climb a tree, because he wanted more than anything to see Jesus, who can do things that no human can do. He also needed healing, but Zacchaeus could not tell anyone about his infirmities – his mental worries. This mental restlessness and the desire to rid himself of his troubles, to find peace of mind - were the reasons why Zacchaeus climbed a tree, as a child might have done. His state of mind was such that he needed, like the air we breathe, to see Jesus.
Jesus Christ was a soul seer. He felt Zacchaeus' longing and uncontrollable desire, and therefore, approaching the fig tree in which Zacchaeus was sitting among the branches, the Lord said: "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." (Luke 19,5)
Such a familiar form of address by Jesus to him by name was, obviously, a surprise for Zacchaeus, for he had never known or seen Him, but Zacchaeus obediently “made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.” Everything turned out beyond expectations - as if Jesus had read all his secret aspirations and desires and decided to satisfy them.
That sudden appeal of Jesus to Zacchaeus by name clearly shows us that the Lord knows all our names and knows all our desires, first, before we express them in our prayer with our mouths. In another place, Jesus Christ clearly testified: “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6.8)
Thus, we can see it is most important that a person has a sincere desire for unity with God, a desire to fulfill His will. Man must yearn for God by name as a drowning man yearns for air. There is a story about one seeker of God. That seeker turned to a believing Christian with a question:
- How can you find God? The believing man suggested that he go to the water, to the lake, and said:
- Try to dive into the water three times and each time keep your head in the water as long as you can. That was done. The believer then asked the seeker of God:
- What was your biggest wish when you were underwater?
- Exhale and inhale air.
The believer said affirmingly: -- “When you so sincerely desire God, like the air you breathe in - you will find God.”
Zacchaeus may have been a very sinful man, but he longed for spiritual healing and he felt that Jesus of Nazareth had the grace and power to help him, so he longed to see Jesus.
And that is why, when Jesus came to his house, Zacchaeus did not just treat Him with food and drink, but treated Jesus with a spiritual shift, a decisive step on the road to salvation:
“Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." (Luke 19,8)
There is an old church tradition that Zacchaeus was later a bishop in Christ’s Church. One thing is certain, that if it had only been said and not done, Zacchaeus' deed would not have been mentioned in the Gospel; Zacchaeus did as he had promised Jesus.
A miracle of spiritual rebirth, spiritual healing of a sinful person happened.
People who pay most attention to the physical may likely be most impressed by the physical healing of the blind man that Jesus performed at the entrance to Jericho. But we, believing Christians, must remember and be mindful that the main mission of Jesus Christ on earth, the purpose of His coming to earth, was not the physical healing of people, but the healing of human souls that they might be saved in God.
Thus, the spiritual healing of Zacchaeus by Jesus is the most important element for us, because He healed his soul and thereby directed him to continue doing good, directed him to the path of salvation.
It is also important for us to know that Christ will be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28,20). Christ is always close and ready to heal our souls and bodies, if we sincerely seek unity with Him, as Zacchaeus sought.
Amen.
Very Rev. Fr. Taras Slavchenko
Taras Slavchenko was born on March 8, 1918 in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine. After graduating from school and the Pedagogical College, he entered the language and literature faculty of the Scientific Pedagogical Institute. Having successfully completed it in 1938, he served as a teacher in a secondary school.