The story of Zacchaeus climbing the tree to see Jesus reminds me of the story of the men who went around the crowd and opened the roof of a house so their friend could be healed (Mk 2:1-12). Or remember the woman who only touched Jesus’s clothes and was cured of her hemorrhage (Mk 5: 25-35)? What lengths people went to so Jesus might heal them! We might suppose that Zacchaeus subconsciously wanted to see Jesus in order to be healed of his corruption.
Zacchaeus’s conversion started with mere curiosity; he “was seeking to see who Jesus was” (Lk 19: 3). One of the Beatitudes is “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mat 5:8). Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, to be pure of heart. Perhaps he felt stuck in his current, corrupt way of life. He overtaxed and defrauded his Jewish brethren. He was a traitor. How could be possibly come back from that?
Zacchaeus went up the sycamore tree, and after the briefest encounter with Jesus he was animated with new life: “Jesus looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he came down quickly and received him with joy” (Lk 19:5-6). Zacchaeus obeyed Jesus’s command, repented fully, and made reparations for his sins, which Jesus forgave. This was how he could come back to the fold: he was lost and had to be saved by Christ. God’s mercy is so great!
“But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook sins for the sake of repentance” (Wis 11:23).
We can contrast this story with the story of the rich young man (Matt 19: 16-22). At his conversion, Zacchaeus gave up half of his possessions joyfully, without even being asked. When Jesus told the rich young man to sell what he had and give the money to the poor, he went away sad. Zacchaeus saw God, received forgiveness, made reparations, and then was beatified—made happy!
Jesus, thank you for your forgiveness and for coming to save us. Following your commands brings me such joy!