Probably the crowd, seeing the shenanigans he pulls to even reach the branches of the sycamore tree, laughs derisively at him. Zacchaeus is chief tax collector, having responsibility over the other tax collectors, in the wealthy city of Jericho, a hub for commerce and so a major center for taxation for the Romans. The Romans are the overlords, militarily occupying Jesus' country. Zacchaeus is universally detested by the Jewish populace because he works for the occupation force, collecting taxes for the Romans. By climbing a tree to look for Jesus, Zacchaeus is deliberately setting himself up as an object of ridicule. Somehow, he seems not to care. Fr. James Martin, S.J., observes:
"He is, quite literally, going out on a limb for Jesus. risking his dignity to see the Master. Luke says, 'He was trying to see who Jesus was.' What a wonderful line! Weren't the disciples? Aren't we all? Zacchaeus may have thought, 'Who is this Jesus, about whom everyone is so excited? Could he possibly help someone like me?'"
Somehow, in spite of the noise and the distraction of a large crowd, Jesus sees Zacchaeus perched up in the tree. Surely Jesus smiles at the sight of a man's face looking down at him through the leaves of a sycamore tree. Surely he then asks the people surrounding him who this intrepid fellow is. Surely, these residents of Jericho sneer as they tell Jesus the man's name and hated occupation. Surely Jesus smiles again as he calls up into the tree "Zacchaeus! Hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today!" Jesus has asked himself to dinner at the house of an outcast. "In effect," Martin says, "Jesus is showing God's hospitality to sinners by letting the sinners show him hospitality."
The crowd grumbles; why is Jesus lowering himself by going to eat at the house of a public sinner, one who works for the Pagan Occupation? One who helps these Romans to take money out of his own country men's pockets? But Zacchaeus is not cowed by the crowd. As Jesus and he walk to his house, he tells Jesus loudly in front of everyone "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."
What courage and humility it takes for this man to make a public confession of sin in front of the people who hate him! Perhaps, some scholars say, he is already giving to the poor. Maybe hearing Zacchaeus' story can teach us that we never know what is going on in the minds and hearts of even the most hated public officials. We can never judge people by their reputations.
Jesus enters Zacchaeus' house and pronounces a blessing on owner and building, telling the crowd "Today, salvation has come to this house because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost." Jesus not only restores Zacchaeus to a relationship with God; he works to restore Zacchaeus to a relationship with his fellow Jews: "He too is a son of Abraham." God always wants to restore us to a life in community with others.
This story begins with Zacchaeus looking for Jesus, and ends with Zacchaeus - and us - discovering that Jesus was looking for him all along. Whenever any of us are looking for God, simultaneously God is looking for us and giving us the endurance we need to keep searching. To actively look for God as Zacchaeus does takes courage, confidence, and humility. Because if we actively look for God, look to let God more completely into our lives, there's a crowd that will oppose us as the crowd opposed him.
The people around us may laugh at us for trying to change; they may even discourage us from trying to change. If we try to come closer to God by praying, going to Church, or changing our lifestyle, even our closest family and friends may make fun of us, accuse us of being "holy rollers" or trying to put on airs or false fronts. In effect they tell us "Who do you think you are?" After all, they say, they know us, don't they? They've never seen us act like THIS before!
Even Jesus faced misunderstanding and active criticism from his family and friends when he changed his life to begin his ministry of traveling, preaching, teaching, and healing. "Isn't this the carpenter's son?" people asked. His family thought he'd become insane!
When we face people's derision or active discouragement, Zacchaeus, the short, much hated public official, the butt of people's jokes, can be our inspiration. Fr. Martin says
"The man (Zacchaeus) is filled with joy at what is about to happen to him, filled with hope and enthusiasm - and the crowd is furious. Everyone wants to extinguish his hope. They want to return him to despair. But he will not let them.
"Zacchaeus does not let their fury dissuade him. His enthusiasm is undimmed. He does not let the crowd rule him. He does not need the approval of everyone....He sees, he chooses, he acts. For this, Jesus pronounces him saved."
If we stand up to the nay-sayers in our lives by standing up for God, if we risk losing family or friends because we've found God, God will not leave us to sorrow without a community. God will give us new "family," new friends, - and the ones who truly know us will be challenged by our new lives in Jesus. So Jesus gave Zacchaeus back to his community - but it took Zacchaeus' act of courage without the community's approval for them to finally see him for the man he could be.
If we look wholeheartedly for God, God will find us, no matter where we've traveled to find God. And in looking for God, and finding God, we will find new, more fulfilled lives. God is never outdone in generosity. Especially if we have to go out on a limb to find Him!