Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 153

When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."

The Lord is so generous; he will always provide a ready excuse for our ignoring him. Not that he intends to be ignored, but since every action has a billion potential consequences, when he favors the least the rest of us might consider ourselves "excused." And that would be a very serious mistake.

The Book of Wisdom today praises God, 

"...you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people's sins that they may repent.

And so we see Jesus overlooking the carping criticism and enjoying Zacchaeus's hospitality. True, the food he'll eat and the wine he'll drink at the tax collector's table are compromised by Zacchaeus's sinful practices. As he shares them with Jesus he makes no secret of that. 

And the Lord knows that, for to live in this tainted world, to handle money, to engage in commerce, or to drink the water may be a compromise with sinful matter. There have always been purists who would avoid contamination with their fantastic practices of abstinence and hygiene. There may be more today than ever before, given the Internet's ability to fascinate the foolish. The Covid epidemic certainly inspired a new wave of superstitious practices. Some of these odd behaviors are regarded as neurotic, and others are perfectly normal, though no less odd.  

As we strive to enter through the narrow gate we have to study the Lord's manner. He was easy amid sinners and tax collectors; he was cautious among scribes, Pharisees, Levites, and Herodians. While the self-righteous wanted him in their company, the scorned and despised welcomed him. The former group would restrict the company he kept; the latter recognized him as one of their own despite his innocence. 

He knew something that few around him could comprehend. A church that would train its youth in the ways of virtue strains to understand Jesus's manner. On the one hand we want young people to shun bad companions and cultivate good relationships; on the other hand we would have them recognize the divine resemblance in every human being. We advise them to make your acquaintances many and your friendships few. They should assess without judgement. 

What Jesus knew was his own standing in God's presence. He often took time for prayer; he made time to be with and know his Father. Secondly, he knew he was a man who would die like any mortal. His virtue granted no exception to death. As he set out for Jerusalem, he knew it would be a one way trip. His friends warned him; his enemies made no secret of their plans. He could see their winks, nods, and signals on the edge of every crowd. But he also knew that God is faithful to his faithful people. 

There was then among Jews no strong tradition of belief in an afterlife. The question was disputed between Pharisees and Saducees and no one had ever risen from the dead to settle the questions. As Hamlet would say, Death was an "undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn / No traveller returns." 

So Jesus had only his faith in God his Father. He had the history of Judaism from Abraham to Joseph, and from Sarah to Mary, to assure him that God is faithful not only to his nation, but also to every individual. He knew the tradition of the Maccabees as they prayed for the sinful dead. More importantly, he recalled Eleazar, and the widow and her seven sons. 

Jesus knew in his confident heart that God is faithful. With that assurance he could dismiss the grumbling and carping that hounded him at every step. He could receive Zacchaeus, the woman caught in adultery, and the sinful woman, along with the blind, lame, and impure who were suspected of sin. 

His confidence in God was like that of his ancestor King David, who could rule over Israel and Judah with the assurance that God would correct his faults and forgive his mistakes. For nothing could cancel his love of God and the Father's love for him. 

We live in the same confidence, as Saint Paul said:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38)