Church Fathers Commentary Luke 19:1-10

"And he entered and was passing through Jericho. And behold, a man called by name Zacchaeus; and he was a chief publican, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the crowd, because he was little of stature. And he ran on before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, He is gone in to lodge with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wrongfully exacted aught of any man, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, To-day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost." — Luke 19:1-10 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: Consider Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree and the blind man by the wayside. For the one, our Lord waits to show mercy; for the other, He confers the great glory of abiding in his house. The chief among the publicans is fittingly introduced here. For who will despair of himself in the future, when a man who gained his living by fraud now attains to grace? He was also a rich man, so that we may know that not all rich men are covetous.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But Zacchaeus did not delay, and so was considered worthy of the favor of God, which gives sight to the blind and calls those who are far off.

Titus of Bostra: The seed of salvation had begun to spring up in him, for he desired to see Jesus, whom he had never seen. If he had seen Him, he would have given up the publican’s wicked life long ago. No one who sees Jesus can remain any longer in wickedness. But two obstacles prevented him from seeing Jesus. The crowd—not so much of people, but of his sins—stood in his way, for he was small in stature.

St. Ambrose of Milan: What does the Evangelist mean by describing his stature, and not that of anyone else? Perhaps it is because he was young in his wickedness or still weak in the faith. For a man who could still climb a tree was not yet completely overcome by sin. He had not yet seen Christ.

Titus of Bostra: But Zacchaeus discovered a clever plan: running ahead, he climbed up into a sycamore tree and saw the One he had long wished for—that is, Jesus, passing by. Now, Zacchaeus desired nothing more than to see Him, but the Lord, who is able to do more than we ask, granted him far more than he expected. As the text continues, And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him. He saw the man’s soul striving earnestly for a holy life and converted him to godliness.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Uninvited, Jesus invites Himself to Zacchaeus’s house, as it says, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down... for He knew how richly He would reward his hospitality. And though He had not yet heard a verbal invitation, He had already seen the man’s willingness.

The Venerable Bede: See here how the camel, freed from its hump, passes through the eye of a needle. That is, the rich publican, by abandoning his love of riches and loathing his dishonest gains, receives the blessing of his Lord’s company. As it follows, And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Let the rich learn that guilt is not in wealth itself, but in those who do not know how to use it. For just as riches can be a hindrance to virtue for the unworthy, they can also be a means of advancing it for the good.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Observe the grace and kindness of the Savior. The innocent associates with the guilty; the fountain of justice associates with covetousness, which is the source of injustice. Having entered the publican’s house, He suffers no stain from the fog of greed but disperses it with the bright beam of His righteousness. But those who use biting words and reproaches try to discredit the things He did, for it follows, And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

But He, though accused of being a wine-bibber and a friend of publicans, paid no attention to it, as long as He could accomplish His purpose. A physician sometimes cannot save his patients from their diseases without being stained by blood, and so it happened here: the publican was converted and began to live a better life. Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any man, I restore him fourfold.

Behold, here is a marvel: he obeys without being taught. Just as the sun, pouring its rays into a house, enlightens it not by words but by deeds, so the Savior, by the rays of righteousness, put the darkness of sin to flight, for the light shines in darkness. Now, everything united is strong, but divided is weak; therefore, Zacchaeus divides his substance into two parts.

We must be careful to observe, however, that his wealth was not made up entirely of unjust gains but also came from his inheritance; otherwise, how could he restore fourfold what he had unjustly taken? He knew that the law ordered what was wrongly taken to be restored fourfold, so that if the law itself did not deter a man, the resulting financial loss might. Zacchaeus does not wait for the judgment of the law but makes himself his own judge.

Theophylact of Ohrid: If we examine this more closely, we see that nothing was left of his own property. For after giving half of his goods to the poor, he used the remainder to restore fourfold to those whom he had injured. He did not merely promise this; he did it. For he does not say, “I will give the half, and I will restore fourfold,” but rather, “I give, and I restore.” To such a man, Christ announces salvation, saying to him, This day is salvation come to this house, signifying that Zacchaeus himself had attained salvation, with “the house” meaning its inhabitant. And it follows, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For Christ would not have given the name “son of Abraham” to a lifeless building.

The Venerable Bede: Zacchaeus is called a son of Abraham not because he was a physical descendant, but because he imitates Abraham’s faith. For just as Abraham left his country and his father’s house, so Zacchaeus abandoned all his possessions by giving them to the poor. And Christ rightly says, “He also,” to declare that not only those who have lived justly, but also those who are raised up from a life of injustice, belong to the sons of promise.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Christ did not say that Zacchaeus “was” a son of Abraham, but that he “is” one now. For previously, when he was the chief among the publicans and bore no resemblance to the righteous Abraham, he was not his son. But because some murmured that He stayed with a sinner, He adds this to restrain them: For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Christ is saying, “Why do you accuse Me if I bring sinners to righteousness? Far from hating them, I came for their sakes. For I came to heal, not to judge. Therefore, I am the constant guest of the sick, and I endure their foulness so that I may supply remedies.” But someone may ask how Paul can bid us, If we have a brother that is a fornicator or covetous man, with such not even to take food, whereas Christ was the guest of publicans? They were not yet advanced enough to be considered brethren; besides, St. Paul bids us to avoid our brethren only when they persist in evil, but these men had been converted.

The Venerable Bede: Mystically, the name Zacchaeus, which means “justified,” signifies the Gentile believers. They were weighed down and humbled by their worldly occupations but have been sanctified by God. Zacchaeus desired to see our Savior entering Jericho, since he sought to share in the faith that Christ brought into the world.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The crowd represents the chaos of an ignorant multitude, which cannot see the heights of wisdom. Therefore, while Zacchaeus was in the crowd, he did not see Christ. But having advanced beyond common ignorance, he was considered worthy to welcome the One he desired to see.

The Venerable Bede: Or, the crowd represents the general habit of vice. This is what rebuked the blind man for crying out, so that he would not seek the light, and it also hinders Zacchaeus from looking up, so that he cannot see Jesus. Just as the blind man overcame the crowd by crying out all the more, so the man who is weak in faith overcomes the opposing multitude by forsaking earthly things and climbing the tree of the Cross.

The sycamore is a tree resembling the mulberry in its leaves but is much taller, which is why the Latins call it “lofty.” It is also called the “foolish fig-tree.” In the same way, the Cross of our Lord sustains believers as a fig tree sustains its figs, and it is mocked by unbelievers as foolishness. Zacchaeus, who was small in stature, climbed this tree so that he might be raised up with Christ.

For everyone who is humble and conscious of his own weakness cries out, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The Evangelist rightly adds that our Lord was to pass that way—either where the sycamore tree was, or where the man who was about to believe was—so that He might preserve the mystery and sow the seeds of grace. For He came in such a way that He reached the Gentiles by passing through the Jews. He then sees Zacchaeus above, for the excellence of his faith was already shining forth amid the fruits of his good works and the height of the fruitful tree. But Zacchaeus stands out above the tree, as one who is above the law.

The Venerable Bede: As the Lord journeyed, He came to the place where Zacchaeus had climbed the sycamore. For having sent His preachers throughout the world (in whom He Himself spoke and journeyed), He comes to the Gentile people. These people were already raised up high through faith in His Passion, and when He looked up, He saw them, for He chose them by grace.

Now, our Lord once stayed in the house of a chief of the Pharisees, but when He performed works that only God could do, they railed at Him. Therefore, hating their deeds, He departed, saying, Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. But now He must stay at the house of the lowly Zacchaeus; that is, by the brightly shining grace of the new law, He must rest in the hearts of the humble nations.

The command for Zacchaeus to come down from the sycamore tree and prepare a place for Christ corresponds to what the Apostle says: Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. And again elsewhere: For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God.

It is plain that the Jews always hated the salvation of the Gentiles. But salvation, which formerly filled the houses of the Jews, has this day shone upon the Gentiles, since this people also, by believing in God, is a son of Abraham.

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is easy to apply this as a moral lesson. Whoever surpasses many in wickedness is small in spiritual growth and cannot see Jesus because of the crowd. Disturbed by passion and worldly things, he does not behold Jesus walking—that is, working in us—and does not recognize His work. But he climbs to the top of a sycamore tree by rising above the sweetness of pleasure (which is symbolized by the fig), and by subduing it, he becomes more exalted. Then he sees and is seen by Christ.

St. Gregory the Great: Or, because the sycamore is called the “foolish fig” by its name, the small Zacchaeus climbs into the sycamore and sees the Lord. For those who humbly choose the foolish things of this world are the ones who contemplate the wisdom of God most intimately. What is more foolish in this world than not to seek what is lost, to give our possessions to robbers, or not to return injury for injury? However, through this wise foolishness, the wisdom of God is seen—not yet as it truly is, but through the light of contemplation.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Lord said to him, Make haste, and come down. This means, “You have ascended by repentance to a place too high for you; come down in humility, lest your exaltation cause you to fall. I must abide in the house of a humble man.”

We have two kinds of goods in us: bodily and spiritual. The just man gives up all his bodily goods to the poor, but he does not forsake his spiritual goods. If he has extorted anything from anyone, he restores it fourfold. This signifies that if a man, through repentance, walks on the opposite path from his former perversity, he heals all his old offenses by the manifold practice of virtue.

In this way, he merits salvation and is called a son of Abraham, because he went out from his own kindred—that is, from his former wickedness.