Written by Scott B. Hayashi
Luke 19:5-7 (NRSV) When 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.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”
Is Zacchaeus a sinner? Do the people in his community ever give him a chance to be a nice guy, or do they hate him simply because he is a tax collector?
We may not know all their motivations, but we do know that Zacchaeus is ostracized from his community. They do not trust anyone who works for the Romans. Zacchaeus, as far as his community is concerned, is guilty of collaborating with the enemy and benefitting from Roman occupation and oppression.
Jesus, in one of his most radical acts of hospitality, chooses to be with Zacchaeus and recognizes him as a member of God’s family. Do you think that the people in Zacchaeus’s life welcomed him after Jesus chose to spend time with such a notorious sinner? Would you have invited him to your house?
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