A Reflection for Sunday 2nd November 2025
provided by Reverend Barbara Irrgang-Buckley
Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.
Hymn Put all your trust in God (Wesley)
Collect
you have kindled the flame of love in the hearts of the saints:
Grant to us the same faith and power of love,
that, as we rejoice in their triumphs,
we may be sustained by their example and fellowship;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2 Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12
In Jesus’ time tax collectors were not popular and were commonly regarded as sinners. Tax collectors worked for the Romans, the occupying force in Palestine at the time. They collected taxes from people to give to the Romans and were regarded as traitors. Most people resented the Romans and did not want to pay taxes to them.
Tax collectors were not paid a wage. They were expected to pay their own wages by taking extra money from people. Such a system was open to exploitation and tax collectors had a reputation for being very dishonest. They often became rich at the expense of those they collected taxes from.
Zacchaeus was especially unpopular as he was a chief tax collector in Jericho and a wealthy man. However, he must have realised that his life needed to change, and he was determined to see Jesus – even though this meant climbing a tree.
By inviting himself to Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus showed his acceptance of someone who was regarded as a sinner and treated as an outcast. The crowd did not approve of Jesus’ controversial action.
Zacchaeus showed he was willing to change by offering half of his belongings to the poor and paying back four times as much to anyone he had cheated. This amount was what the Old Testament law demanded as a repayment for dishonesty.
Jesus’ final comment highlights that although he has brought salvation for all people, those who are sinners are most urgently in need of this message. It is wrong to think he is only interested in so-called ‘respectable’ people.
This story is a story of God’s desire to save sinners; it is a story of hope and encouragement to recognize change. It is also a story which highlights that God reaches for people outside institutionalised and exclusive religion, of which humans try to take ownership and power. It is God who recognises the seeker and who makes his way into the lives of the ones who are seen as outcasts. It is God who brings salvation to the faithful sinner, not the people who try to determine through power who is ‘on their side’ and who is an outcast.
One could ask, who are the people in Zacchaeus’ place today if the story was told again in our time? And how would we respond?
And some more music, in the spirit of Reformation Day which was on October 31st:
Hymn ‘A mighty fortress is our God’ in German and English
The same but as Cantata by Bach (BWV 80)
And finally, if you ever wanted to know more about this hymn…
Martin Luther’s Hymn: Bach’s BWV 80 “A Mighty Fortress is our God” Explained
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