The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: S. Luke
Chapter 19
Ver. 1. — And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. S. Luke continues the account of the journey to Jerusalem. I have spoken of this in the preceding chapter, verse 35.
Ver. 2. — And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus , which was the chief among the publicans . Christ gave sight to the blind man near Jericho; soon after, in Jericho itself, He converted Zacchaeus, for no place, no road, no moment of time was idle to Christ, but all were made notable by divine mercies, benefits, and miracles, that He might teach us to do the same. “ Zacchaeus.” This name is as it were an omen of his future righteousness and purification, for Zacchaeus in Hebrew is the same as just, pure, clear. The chiefs of the publicans had many publicans, that is collectors of the taxes, under them. These taxes the Romans and Tiberius had imposed on the Jews against their will. Hence the publicans were hated by the Jews and accounted infamous, being called Parisim, that is, robbers. The chief was called Gabba ; whence the word Gabella, the publicans being called Gabbaim. Angelus Caninus on Hebrew words in New Testament.
And he was rich. The chiefs of the publicans were not appointed unless they were rich, that they might advance money to the Roman ruler when he wanted it, and supply, in a great degree, the deficiencies of the publicans under him. S. Luke adds this to show better the grace of Christ and the virtue of Zacchaeus, since he left his great wealth for the calling and love of Christ, and distributed it among the poor.
Ver. 3. — And he sought to see. He took pains to see Jesus in person as he had heard of His reputation from the fame of His virtues and miracles. For we wish to see great men and to know them in person. But Zacchaeus, beside his natural wish, was impelled by one above nature, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He desired to see Jesus that he might be absolved of his sins by Him, and be justified and made holy. “He wished,” says S. Chrysostom in his Homily on Zacchaeus, “to know by sight one whom he had known before in imagination, to see the face of Him whom he had seen before in mind, to look upon Him as present whom he had never seen do any works ; that the love of Christ which he had conceived in his heart might be gratified to the full by the sight of his eyes.”
Ver. 3. — And he could not. But he was exalted in mind. Many of the heroes and saints were men of small stature, as I have shown in Zech. iv. 10 and Ecclus. xi 3, on the words, “The bee is small among flying things, but her fruit is the chief of sweetest things.” It is in minimis that the supreme majesty of God, His glory, strength, and greatness, most clearly shine forth. “ The crowd,” says S. Cyril, “ is the confusion of a multitude, which we must climb above, if we wish to see Christ.”
Ver. 6. — And he ran . Mystically, the sycamore is the cross of Christ and His doctrine, which to the Gentiles and men of this world is mere folly, but to Zacchaeus and the faithful is the wisdom of God, and the power of God. 1 Cor. i. 24. S. Gregory, lib. xxvii. Moral. : in fine, “ Let us leave the wisdom that is hurtful, that we may gain that which is to our profit, &c. The dwarf Zacchaeus submitted himself to the sycamore tree and saw the Lord ; for they who choose humbly the folly of the world, these wisely contemplate the wisdom of God. A multitude hinders our slowness to see God, for the tumults of worldly cares so press upon the infirmity of the human mind that it cannot contemplate the light of truth. We are wise to ascend the sycamore if we retain in our minds, with forethought, that foolishness which is received from God.”
Theophylact speaks as follows : “ We climb the fig-tree ; that is, we ascend above the allurements of pleasure, which is signified by the fig-tree — we mount up by Penitence, but we come down through Humility.”
Ver. 5. — And when Jesus came to the place . Christ compensates the zeal of Zacchaeus to see Him by His full Exhibition and Presence. Christ inspired Zacchaeus with this ardour that He might perfect his house. Christ indeed went thither that He might arouse this feeling, and by it be received by Zacchaeus as his guest, and bring blessing and salvation to his whole house. For, although the Saviour of the world, He came to sanctify sinners. “ Jesus had not heard the voice of Zacchaeus inviting him,” said S. Ambrose, “ but He had seen his feeling.”
Christ therefore not only offered Himself to be seen by Zacchaeus, who wished to see Him, but He also gave Himself to be possessed by him, and therefore chose to remain in his house, rather than in the house of any one else.
Moraliter. Let us learn to desire Christ and His inner conversation and grace, for Christ will soon offer Himself to us, and fulfil our desire, and as much as is that desire will be His conversation ; for Wisdom, that is Christ, will meet him who fears and longs for God. “ As a mother shall she meet him, with the bread of understanding shall she feed him, and give him the water of wisdom to drink.” Ecclus. xv. 2, 3. And chap, xxiv., “ Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits. For my memorial is sweeter than honey,” v. 19, 20 ; and John vii. 37, 38.
Zacchaeus, then, saw Christ with the eyes and sight of his body, and still more with those of his mind, by which Christ enlightened his soul to discern that he was the Saviour who would forgive the sins of those who repent, and give them salvation, that is, righteousness , grace, and glory. The countenance of Jesus therefore is not fruitless, and of no effect, but efficacious and operative. For by this alone He attracts men to His love, changes them, and brings them to salvation. Hence, says S. Cyril, “ Jesus saw the mind of Zacchaeus striving very earnestly after a holy life.”
For to day I must abide at thy house. “ Zacchaeus,” says Titus, “ wished only for the sight of Jesus, but He who knows how to do more than we ask, gave him what was beyond his expectation ; for Christ of His great bounty exceeds the prayers and powers of the petitioners.” “ Christ promised,” says S. Chrysostom in his homily on Zacchaeus, “ that He would come to his house, whose soul and its desires He already possessed.”
Ver. 6. — And he made haste , and came down — see the prompt obedience of Zacchaeus, which deserved salvation — and received Him gladly. Zacchaeus received Christ into his house, and Christ in return bestowed on him salvation. “Zacchaeus rejoiced,” says Euthymius, “because he had not only seen Christ, according to his wish, but because he had also been called by Him, and had received Him as his guest, a thing he had never hoped for.”
Ver. 7. — And when they saw it, they all murmured. (“ All ” — the Pharisees, and the Jews their parasites, who hated the publicans.) They murmured, saying that he was gone , &c.
The publicans were held by the Jews to be impious, unjust, wicked, and they often were such. Some think that “ sinner ” here means that Zacchaeus was a Gentile and idolater. Such is the opinion of Tertullian, SS. Cyprian, Ambrose, Bede, and from them Maldonatus. And that Zacchaeus speaks of a restitution of things exacted so unjustly, which was of a natural law, and not ordered by Moses. S. Chrysostom, in his sermon on Zacchaeus, says, “ He was a son of Abraham by faith, not by birth ; by merit, not by descent ; , not by race.” But the contrary is equally probable, perhaps more so, namely, that Zacchaeus was a Jew, not a Gentile.
1. Because, ver. 9, he is called a son of Abraham. 2. Because Christ only conversed with Jews, for He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel Hence He is called by S. Paul “ minister of the circumcision,” Rom. xv. 8. 3. Because Zacchaeus is a Hebrew name. 4. Because the Jews would not have been silent on the matter but would have brought it against Jesus that he held communion with the Gentiles when the Messiah was promised to the Jews alone.
Ver. 8. — And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord. We cannot doubt that Christ as soon as He entered the house of Zacchaeus began, according to His custom, to teach and exhort both Zacchaeus himself and those of his household, to faith and repentance, and, if they repented, to promise them grace, righteousness, and salvation. He would also urge upon them contempt of riches and the world, and the acceptance of poverty and evangelical perfection, by following Him and giving their goods to the poor, that they might receive treasure in heaven, and a hundredfold in this life. S. Luke, for the sake of brevity, says nothing of this ; but from what follows, and from what he had frequently said before, especially xviii. 22, of the custom of Christ to teach and preach, He leaves it to be understood. By the words of Christ Zacchaeus was plainly converted to faith, repentance, poverty, and contempt of riches and the world. He said.