Weekly Reflection 103104AD

Sunday, October 31, 2004AD

31^st Sunday in Greentime

Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner!

If there were ever a re-make of Franco Zefferelli’s 1976 classic, Jesus of Nazareth , Danny De Vito would steal the show by taking the role of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. This story which appears only in Luke’s Gospel reprises one of Luke’s principal themes, viz., Jesus’ table fellowship with anyone who would dine with Him.

However, this story goes one step further because it is Jesus Himself Who invites Himself to the table of the tax collector. Zacchaeus was probably as much aghast at Jesus’ crashing his pad as everyone else.

What was Jesus thinking? It certainly demonstrates that Jesus has turned the dining mores of Jericho upside down. One only ate meals with those who were of one’s family or with one’s most intimate friends. Jesus invites Himself into the home of a collaborator with the Roman occupiers of Palestine when He could have ask anyone else in town for hospitality. The Zealots, religious fanatics, as well as the Pharisees, purists about table fellowship, must all have been apoplectic.

However, Zacchaeus had a secret that Jesus knew. Quietly, Zacchaeus was giving half his wealth to the poor. In addition, if he found out that he had defrauded someone, he would pay back the error fourfold.

In the eyes of the people, Zacchaeus was a reprobate. He worked for Caesar and, thus, was ostrasized by his community. However, Jesus knew the truth.

Strangely, Zacchaeus’ guest was crucified a short time later by Pontius Pilate, Zacchaeus’ employer. How must Zacchaeus have reacted to the crucifixion of his guest after he had hosted Jesus a short time before? The story was preserved in Luke’s special source of material because Jesus restored an outsider to his group. Zacchaeus must have remained so.

Jesus continues His table fellowship with any and all who accept His invitation. Now, however, He hosts the meal which we all share when we gather for our weekend family meal, either on Saturday evening or on Sunday morning. Jesus continues His table fellowship in local parishes (paroikia). A parish church is known in Latin as domus ecclesiae (the home of the Church). In effect, Jesus is saying to all of us quite seriously, Mi casa, su casa (My home is your home).

Every Catholic parish should be a home that welcomes all who want to come. The Jesus Movement, from the beginning, was about bringing people in to feed them, not to exclude them. The table fellowship which Jesus so desired with everyone during His public life and which His disciples perpetuated for 2000 years continues today.

Jesus was on the road when He crashed Zacchaeus’ house. Now, Jesus invites all to His house to continue His table fellowship. We live the values of the Kingdom of God with His Help, as we feel His Vibes as we try to live His Gospel in the journey of life that we make each day. 103104AD jfq