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Zachary “ the day of salvation has come to this house”
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| Luke 19, 1-10 |
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| Salvation, that day, had a name, Jesus, who was passing through the city. Salvation was not spreading through the city like sudden dew in the middle of a day. |
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Jesus walking through the city raised his eyes and saw some thing unusual, a man up in a tree, above the agitated crowd eager to watch. A small man was trying to make himself high. A civil servant, without ambition, who was more curious than the others. More wealthy also. He thought to have found the best place to watch without being seen. |
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He had not a good conscience, he was a professional robber with a close relationship with the occupying power. He heard that Jesus was not lenient with people of that kind. Zachary did not want confrontation.
But nothing happened as foreseen. He was called by his name. He had been found out, what a shame. Jesus stopped to walk through the city, he decided to stay. Not anywhere, in his own house! Could he hide, get away, climb up on a higher branch? It was too late. |
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| The gospel does not give the details, how Zachary managed to inform his servants to prepare the reception and how they prepared it. Certainly there were some fear among his family, some surprise but also perhaps some pride. How could they be perfectly ready to correctly receive the Master? |
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| And, if he should have to reconsider every thing? Maybe should he resign? |
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It is what “salvation” means: Jesus installs himself in the conscience of one of us to give him some task to do with the others, today. The task is to create more fraternity in order that humanity becomes a success and becomes free.
If Zachary was very eager to see Jesus, Jesus also wanted to see him and spend some time with him. It was the meeting of two desires. No reproach, Zachary was not any more ashamed, he felt respected. And now we see him overcome by a generosity that services beyond justice: “if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation I return back to him fourfold”(Luke, 19, 8). It is not sure that Zachary held his extravagant promise. At least he understood that he received that day the salvation for the others.
The same thing happens when Jesus installs himself in our conscience. The salvation for our earth-house is the success of the creation and we become also creators ourselves. Creators of freedom. |
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