Come Down Quickly
October 30, 2022: A Reflection for the 31st Sunday in O.T., Yr C
Luke 19:1-10
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at you house.” Lk 19:4
You can always tell where there is a source of water out here in the southwest: look for sycamore trees. In fact, you probably noticed the two magnificent sycamores that line the arroyo along the road coming to the monastery. You can bet they have their feet in an abundant source of underground water. It was the same when Jesus arrived in Jericho and was passing through the town, as today’s Gospel tells us. (As an aside, there is a sycamore in present-day Jericho that has a plaque which proclaims that it is the very same tree that our friend Zacchaeus climbed to see Jesus. Only God knows… End of aside.)
Let’s look at sycamores. They are magnanimous, friendly trees who offer their branches close to the earth to accommodate anyone who seeks to climb them or shelter in their shade. Once perched, they provide a haven of green while resting on their almost-white branches, as if offering a seat of light from which to see the world around them. They are special. Maybe even special to God. They are like mother hens who shelter their chicks under their wings.
So our story begins with Jesus on his journey through Jericho with a crowd accompanying him, among them a man named Zacchaeus. He was a member of this crowd, all straining to be near Jesus the Holy Man or at least to get a glimpse of him. But his short stature made it impossible to see him in the midst of such a crowd. That’s when he saw it. There was a tree up ahead whose branches spread out in an embrace of all who came under its umbrella. This tree is perfect, he thought. It is welcoming – and look at those limbs that offer just the right height for me to gaze into the face of this holy man. Up he went, throwing dignity to the wind.
And then it happened. Jesus looked up, saw into his heart, and offered him the invitation that changed his life. “Come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today.”
Everything changed for Zacchaeus. Jesus stayed at more than the exterior building that he called his home. He stayed in the house of Zacchaeus’ heart. But first, he had to “come down.” Come down from all that separated him from his brothers and sisters. Come down to be a brother to each one. To care. To change from being served to serving.
Maybe he learned something from the sycamore as he waited for Jesus. Maybe the rustle of the leaves whispered that it is more blest to give rather than to receive. That a magnanimous heart that opened itself in welcome and kindness is a gift beyond measure. That to gaze into the face of God in one another and let it change us for the better can be a moment that will change our lives. Sometimes sycamores will speak if we know how to listen.