The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: S. Luke
Behold , Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. He therefore did not keep one half for himself but gave back to others what they had been unjustly defrauded of. For he adds, “ If I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold.” “ I give,” “ I restore,” that is, I am resolved from this time, and firmly determine to give and restore according to Thy doctrine and exhortation. On account of this efficacious resolution of the penitent Zacchaeus, Christ added as a reward, “ This day is salvation come to this house.” So S. Ambrose, Bede, Euthymius, Tertullian in his fourth book against Marcion, Fulgentius in his epistle to Galla. It is a Hebraism, similar to that of Pharaoh, Exod. v. 10 : “ I give you not straw,” that is, I decree and command that straw is not given to you. Matt xxvi. 18: “I will keep the Passover at thy house,” that is, I will, I determine to keep it. S. Cyprian, however, in his tract On Works and Almsgiving, has explained the words “ give ” and “ restore,” by the perfect tense : “ I have given, I have restored,” as if Zacchaeus had been converted previously by other discourses of Christ which he had heard.
And if I have, &c. The Greek is ἐσυκοφάντησα, that is, accused falsely of fraud, calumny, or any other like offence. Zacchaeus owns to the crime of defrauding, but in a slight degree : for when, for the sum defrauded he restored fourfold out of his own half of his property, it follows that he gained only an eighth part of his wealth by fraud ; so that, if he had eight thousand gold pieces, only one thousand was gained thus, the other seven being his own, either by inheritance, or some other just manner.
Observe the sudden and miraculous conversion of Zacchaeus, through the grace of Christ, so that he not only repented at once, but also resolved to put away all the wealth to which he had previously clung, for he set apart half for the poor and half for restitution . Thus he instantly embraced the precept of evangelical poverty, that he might forsake all things, and, as a poor man, follow the work of his hands. “ Hear a wonderful thing,” says S. Chrysostom, in his Homily on Zacchaeus, “ He had not yet learnt, and he obeyed. The Saviour by the rays of His righteousness, put to flight the darkness of Zacchaeus’ wickedness.” And Bede, “ Behold, the camel has laid down his burden, and passed through the eye of the needle — that is, he gave up the love of riches, and received the blessing of the Lord’s adoption. This is the folly which is wisdom, and which the publican chose from the sycamore as the fruit of life ; restoring what he had seized, giving up his own, despising things seen.” And Theophylact , “ Behold his alacrity ; he began to sow not sparingly, nor did he give a few things but his whole life.” And S. Bernard (Serm. i, on Festival of all Saints), addressing his own Religious : “ Zacchaeus, whose praise is in the Gospel, gave the half of his goods to the poor, but I see here many Zacchaeuses, who have left themselves nothing of all their property. Who shall write a gospel of these Zacchaeuses, nay, of these Peters — who shall say in faith, ‘ Lord, behold, we have left all things and followed Thee?’ But it is written in the everlasting gospel ; it is written and signed in the book of life, ‘ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.’” “ I restore,” that is, I determine and firmly resolve to restore; nor can we doubt that he acted at once upon this resolve, and carried it out into actual practice.
Fourfold. It was not by the law of nature, nor by that of Moses, that Zacchaeus bound himself to restore fourfold ; as both only oblige him to restore the original sum. He resolved to perform this great and superabundant act of restitution and justice of his fervent charity and repentance. This is in conformity with the law of Exodus xxii. 1, which orders that a man who has stolen a sheep, should be condemned by the judge to restore fourfold. Zacchaeus said this, not from boasting and ostentation, but partly from the fervour with which he had been inspired by Christ and the Holy Ghost, partly to refute the calumny of the scribes, who objected to Christ, that He associated with a sinner. For he shows that he was now no longer a sinner, but repentant and just — nay, more just than the just and holy.
In trope, S. Chrysostom (Hom. lxxviii.) teaches us that we must adorn the house of our souls with almsgiving and righteousness, like Zacchaeus, if we desire to receive Christ as a guest.
Ver. 9. — And Jesus said unto him . In answer to his words, but so that he might appear to direct His face and voice not so much to him, as to the disciples and the multitude who stood by. There is a like enallage in Rom. x. 2 ; Ps. iii. 3, and elsewhere.
This day is salvation come to this house . “ Condemnation,” says Euthymius, “ which used to inhabit there, from its avarice having been turned out.” The Arabic has “This day is salvation come to the dwellers in this house.” “To this house.” From this it appears that when Zacchaeus believed and was converted, all his household followed his example, and believed in Christ, repented, and were justified and sanctified. Moreover, Zacchaeus after his conversion, and the Resurrection and Ascension, became an attendant of S. Peter, and was ordained by him Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. S. Clim. Recognitions, lib. i. 3.
Forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. Because he followed the faith, righteousness, and holiness of Abraham. For by suffering, says Bede, he left his goods to the poor, as Abraham left his country and his father’s house. It is said “ he also,” to show that not only the just but those also who repent of injustice, pertain to the sons of promise. So Tertullian (Bk. iv. against Marcion), Cyprian, and others cited above. S. Chrysostom, in his Homily on Zacchaeus, vol. ii. : “Zacchaeus made an offering of all he had, reserving part of his patrimony for the restitution of what he had gained by fraud. Abraham offered his son to the Lord, Zacchaeus his substance. Abraham gave his heir, Zacchaeus his inheritance. Abraham displayed his only pledge for an offering, Zacchaeus sacrificed the substance of his property. Thus Zacchaeus is rightly termed the son of Abraham, for he followed the course of his father’s glory.
Again, Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham, because he was a Jew, and a descendant of Abraham. As if Christ, when the Pharisees murmured at His consorting with Zacchaeus, a publican, had answered them, “You have no cause to murmur, for Zacchaeus is an Israelite, and in his ancestor and father Abraham he has the closest right to the Messiah and salvation. Thus he has no right to be neglected by Me, who am that Messiah, because he is a publican ; but because he is a penitent, he ought to receive my adoption and blessing.”
Bede, in allegory and trope , thus applies each part of this history to the faithful and holy: “Zacchaeus, that is, pure and justified, signifies a faithful people of the Gentiles who, when depressed by temporal occupations, and of no account, wished to see Christ enter Jericho ; that is to share in the faith which Christ brought to the world. The multitude is the habit of vices, which, when it opposed him, he overthrew by relinquishing earthly things, and ascending the tree of the cross. The sycamore is a tall tree, and hence it is called lofty, and the foolish fig, συκῆ μωρά. It is indeed derided by the unbelieving as a foolish cross, but it sustains the believer as a fig. The man of small stature climbs it, when the humble cries out, ‘ far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of Christ.’ The Lord therefore comes, that is, through His preachers, to the people of the nations. He sees, that is He chooses, through grace. He remains in the house of the dwarf Zacchaeus, that is, He rests in the hearts of humble nations. Zacchaeus descends from the sycamore, for although we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we do not know Him now. Although He died through infirmity, yet He is alive now from the power of God.” The Church rightly reads this gospel of Zacchaeus at the consecration of churches. Firstly, because Christ says in it, “ This day is salvation come to this house ” — words that are rightly applied to the churches when they are consecrated. For the dedication is, as it were, the salvation of the church. The church is consecrated to the salvation of many who are to be justified in it by preaching, prayer, contrition, confession, and absolution.
Again, Christ says, “To-day I must abide in thy house.” In like manner Christ abides in a consecrated church, through the venerable sacrifice and sacrament of the Eucharist. For by consecration a church is made the abode and home of Christ. Thirdly, the material is a type of the spiritual Church, that is, of the faithful soul, in which Christ more especially desires to abide, for He wished to dwell in the soul, even more than in the house of Zacchaeus, according to the words, “Your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you. Glorify God therefore in your body.” 1 Cor. vi.
Ver. 10. — For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save. It is not wonderful that Christ converted and saved Zacchaeus, and publicans and sinners, for, to this He had been sent by the Father, and to this He Himself had come into the world. As, then, the skill of the physician is shown in healing inveterate, hopeless, and desperate diseases, so the supreme virtue of Christ, the Arch-physician, shone out in curing those diseases of the soul, which by nature are incurable, like avarice in publicans. Thus He drew Zacchaeus, the publican, not only to despise avarice and all wealth, but to embrace evangelical poverty. In the same way He called the publican and made him an Apostle. The history of Peter the Publican or Telonarius, who gave up all his wealth, and caused himself to be sold for a slave, and the money to be given to the poor, is a further case in point.