Luke 19:1-10

2 Maccabees 6:18-31

Psalm 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Luke 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you sent your Son to seek me out and save me. I was lost but have been found! Help me to be detached from the things of this passing world and store up true treasure with you in heaven.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Conversion of Zacchaeus: Luke records two events in Jericho before Jesus’ final ascent to Jerusalem. Yesterday, we read the story of Jesus curing the poor blind man. Today, we hear about the conversion of a rich man named Zacchaeus. Both the poor man and the rich man had to overcome obstacles to get to Jesus. The crowd and even Jesus’ disciples kept the poor man from Jesus, while Zacchaeus was hindered by his short stature. The poor man overcame the crowds by calling out to Jesus even louder. Zacchaeus overcame his obstacle by climbing a Sycamore tree. What both stories teach us is how much God can do with the little we are capable of and can offer. How can I call out to Jesus in prayer so that he hears me? How can I climb the sycamore tree so that I see Jesus and Jesus sees me?

2. Second Maccabees: Yesterday, we read from First Maccabees and learned about the campaign of King Antiochus IV against the Jewish religion in the second century B.C.. While some Jewish people gave in to the king’s commands and forsook the Law and the covenant, First Maccabees records the violent revolt of the Hasmoneans against the Seleucids and how they took back the Temple and rededicated it to God’s service. Second Maccabees offers a different perspective and a third response. While some followed the Hasmoneans and took up arms, others laid down their lives in martyrdom. The latter gave witness to their fidelity and their trust in God, offering themselves as a sacrifice that cried out to heaven for God’s mercy (see Gray and Cavins, Walking with God, 232). Second Maccabees can be seen as a subtle critique of the violent approach of the Hasmoneans, which ended in irony. In the beginning, the Hasmoneans were zealous for the Torah and resisted pagan Greek culture, yet in the end, they became very much like the people they fought. Was there an alternative to violent resistance? Second Maccabees, in a very subtle way, responds “yes,” and proposes the path of suffering and martyrdom.

3. The Martyrdom of Eleazar: Second Maccabees records two vivid accounts of martyrdom. Today we read the first and tomorrow we will read the second. “The first account is about an elderly man, Eleazar, who was killed because he refused to eat pork and thereby violate the Torah. Although encouraged to perform the ritual, substituting clean meat in place of the unlawful pork and thus making a pretense of performing the pagan rite, Eleazar instead chose a clear and faithful response” (Gray and Cavins, Walking with God, 242). The First Reading concludes with this assessment of Eleazar: “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” (2 Maccabees 6:31).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me. Find me among the crowd and invite yourself into my home. Teach me about the strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and threats in my world. Allow me to see things as you see them and not as the world does.

Living the Word of God: What obstacles do I need to overcome in my life to encounter God and his Son, Jesus Christ? How am I called to witness to my Christian faith today? What are some things in my culture that can be obstacles to being faithful to God and his Word?