[18:34]
Only Luke extends the passage one more verse,2 commenting that the Twelve understood nothing of this (as with the second prediction, Luke 9:45). Only after the resurrection will Jesus open “their minds to understand” (24:45 [emphasis added]) what is written in the Scriptures and how the Scriptures are fulfilled in these events. For now, the word is hidden from them so they do not comprehend or “know what he was talking about” (NIV). At the end of the unit, something similar will happen to the people of Jerusalem (expressed with the same two Greek verbs): would that they “knew” how to respond with peace to Jesus’ visitation, but “it is hidden” (19:42) from their eyes.
The Son of David in Jericho (18:35–19:10)
35Now as he approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, 36and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. 37They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” 39The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” 40Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, 41“What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” 42Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” 43He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
19:1He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. 2Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, 3was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. 5When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” 6And he came down quickly and received him with joy. 7When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” 8But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” 9And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
OT: Josh 2:1; 2 Sam 7:12–16; Ezek 34:16, 22–23
NT: Luke 4:18; 5:29; 7:21–22, 34, 50; 8:48; 15:1–2, 4, 6; 17:13, 19; James 2:25. // Matt 20:29–34; Mark 10:46–52
Catechism: son of David, 439; Jesus Prayer, 2616, 2667; repairing injustice, 549, 2412; reintegrating forgiven sinners, 1443
Lectionary: Luke 19:1–10: Thirty-First Sunday Ordinary Time (Year C)
[18:35]
Jericho was located about seventeen miles northeast of Jerusalem and a mile south of its Old Testament counterpart (Josh 6), near the palaces that the †Hasmoneans and Herod the Great had built on account of its mild winter climate. The road (Luke 10:30) that passed near the city was well traveled by pilgrims and traders alike. A blind man was begging for alms there, by the roadside. His entrance into the story immediately after the mention of the Twelve’s incomprehension (18:34) suggests that they too suffer from a form of blindness.3
[18:36–38]
The crowd informs the man that Jesus of Nazareth (literally, “the Nazorean”)4 is passing by. Having likely heard about Jesus—his outreach to the blind (14:13, 21), his restoring their sight (7:21–22)—the man cries out to Jesus to have pity, or “mercy” (RSV), just as the ten lepers did (17:13). With spiritual insight despite his blindness, and perhaps interpreting the word “Nazorean” to refer to the messianic “branch” (see comment on 1:26–27), he addresses Jesus as Son of David. The title indicates that Jesus is king (1:32–33), as indeed he will be acclaimed by the whole multitude of disciples on the Mount of Olives (19:38).
[18:39–40]
There, some Pharisees will call on Jesus to “rebuke” those who recognize him as king (19:39). Here, those leading the way—perhaps even from among the uncomprehending Twelve—similarly rebuked the blind man. Like the disciples who “rebuked” the people who brought infants to Jesus (18:15), they have not yet understood Jesus’ mission. However, like the persistent widow (18:3), who represents those who call out (18:7) to God day and night, the man is undeterred: he kept calling out all the more. The man is successful in getting a hearing. Jesus commands that he be brought to him for healing.
[18:41–42]
In reply to Jesus’ question, the man now addresses him as Lord (5:12; 7:6) and asks that he may see, or “see again” (NRSV). On account of the mission he announced in Nazareth—“to proclaim . . . recovery of sight to the blind” (4:18; see 7:22; Isa 61:1 LXX)—Jesus issues a simple command: Have sight, or “Recover your sight” (ESV).5 He adds a phrase already spoken to three others: your faith has saved you (Luke 7:50; 8:48; 17:19). The verb sōzō can refer to the physical healing: “Your faith has healed you” (NIV, NET). However, the man’s response (18:43) suggests that Jesus has also attended to his spiritual well-being. He has given him more than he requested.
[18:43]
The miracle takes effect immediately (5:25; 8:44, 55; 13:13), and he received his sight. Rather than remain “by the roadside” (18:35), his response is to become a disciple: the man followed him (18:22, 28). Jesus has performed the miracle, but the man gives glory to God (5:25; 13:13; 17:15). All the people likewise give praise to God (2:20; 5:26; 7:16). They recognize that Jesus is carrying out God’s work. He is fulfilling his mission and the Scriptures.
[19:1–2]
Unique to Luke is a second Jericho encounter, this time with a man whose name is given: Zacchaeus.6 In this town that was near the border between Roman-controlled Judea and Perea and on an east-west trade route, he worked as a chief tax collector, overseeing the collection of tolls and duties on transported goods. On account of his occupation and his collaboration with the Romans, he was “a sinner” (19:7) in the people’s estimation. Nevertheless, readers of Luke by now are aware that even tax collectors can repent of their sins,7 as did the one in the recent parable (18:9–14). As to be expected, Zacchaeus was wealthy (plousios), further complicating his situation in the Gospel,8 especially since this word was just used to describe the rich official (18:23) and in Jesus’ warning about the rich (18:25). These two storylines—about tax collectors and the rich—now come together in this encounter, which also recalls the lessons from many other passages.
[19:3–4]
As with the blind man by the roadside, Zacchaeus must first overcome the challenge posed by a personal condition: he was short in stature. In both cases, the crowd also made it difficult (18:36). Hence, the blind man “kept calling out” to get Jesus’ attention (18:39), and Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree so as to see Jesus.9 The blind man is like the widow in the parable, representing those who “call out” to God day and night (18:7), and Zacchaeus is like the tax collector in the next parable, not only on account of his occupation but also because of his similar humble disposition (18:14). He is not afraid to make a fool of himself for Jesus’ sake.
[19:5–6]
As he did for the blind man, Jesus stops for Zacchaeus, calling him by name and telling him to come down. His words indicate that this is no chance encounter but one that occurs by divine necessity in fulfillment of God’s plan. Visiting Zacchaeus’s home is something he must do (dei; see comment on 2:49), and the time to do it is today (2:11; 4:21; 5:26; 23:43).
The appropriate way to respond to such a divine visitation is “in haste” (noun spoudē, 1:39)—that is, quickly (verb speudō twice; see 2:16). Abraham had similarly responded quickly (same verb, twice in Gen 18:6 LXX) after he welcomed divinely sent visitors (Gen 18:1–5). Zacchaeus, “a descendant of Abraham” (Luke 19:9), now imitates the patriarch’s hospitality. He received Jesus, as also another Old Testament figure, Rahab the prostitute, “welcomed” (James 2:25; same verb) the messe
ngers sent from Joshua, in the same town, Jericho (Josh 2:1).10 Earlier in Luke, Martha had similarly “welcomed” Jesus (Luke 10:38). Moreover, this rich man welcomes him with joy, in contrast to the rich official who “became quite sad” in his encounter with Jesus (18:23).
[19:7]
Jesus goes to stay with Zacchaeus, as Joshua’s spies went to stay with Rahab (same Greek verb in Josh 2:1 LXX). However, because Zacchaeus is known as a sinner, the onlookers in the crowd grumble, as did the Pharisees and scribes earlier when Jesus dealt with tax collectors (Luke 5:30; 15:2). They are imitating Israel’s wilderness generation that grumbled against God and Moses.11
[19:8]
Addressing Jesus as Lord, like the blind man (18:41) and like Abraham speaking to his special guest (Gen 18:3 LXX), Zacchaeus responds by resolving that from now on his life will change. From among his possessions, he will give to the poor—actually doing what the rich official was invited to do (Luke 18:22). Whatever is left he will use to repay those whom he has cheated, making restitution four times over, going well beyond what the law generally required (Lev 5:24;12 Num 5:7). His resolution indicates the good fruits that he will produce as evidence of his repentance (Luke 3:8).
Nevertheless, some interpret Zacchaeus’s statement not as a resolution about what he will do in the future but as a defense of what he is already doing at the present time, because the Greek verbs translated “give” and “repay” are in the present tense.13 However, several reasons favor the future view, which interprets the present tense verbs as describing what Zacchaeus is about to do.14 For example, the other view makes him sound more like the self-righteous Pharisee (18:12) than the repentant tax collector (18:13).
[19:9–10]
Most importantly, the final words of Jesus, which are addressed to him, indicate that what was lost—that is, Zacchaeus—has been found, like the “lost” sheep, coin, and son in the parables (15:4, 6, 8–9, 24, 32). Meeting Jesus the Savior (2:11) thus marks a turning point in this chief tax collector’s life—as it did earlier for the tax collector Levi (5:27–32)—bringing salvation to his house. Hence, the example of Zacchaeus shows that it is “possible” even for “a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” and “be saved” (18:25–27)! Such is the mission of the Son of Man, which explains why it was necessary for him to stay there today (19:5). Zacchaeus thought that he “was seeking” Jesus (v. 3), but in reality Jesus had come to seek him and save him. As Zechariah and Mary had prophesied, Jesus is the horn of salvation whom God has raised up within the house of David (1:69), to bring salvation (1:71) and show mercy to the descendants of Abraham (1:55, 73). These include the once-crippled “daughter of Abraham” (13:16) and this once-corrupt “son of Abraham” (19:9 NRSV). Indeed, “God can raise up children to Abraham” (3:8) from those least expected.
In summary, what Jesus taught in the parable, he now teaches by his example. He is revealed as the shepherd who goes seeking the lost sheep. His words allude to and fulfill the shepherd prophecy in Ezekiel: “I will seek the lost” (Ezek 34:16 NETS). And he is once again revealed as the kingly “Son of David” (Luke 18:38–39): “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David” (Ezek 34:23 RSV).
Reflection and Application (18:35–19:10)
Kyrie eleison. The pleas for mercy of the blind man and also of the lepers (Luke 17:13) find expression in the penitential act at Mass, in which the faithful pray for mercy, express repentance for their sins, and ask for the help they need to be brought to everlasting life.
Theology of the cross. St. Augustine compares the tree that Zacchaeus climbed to Jesus’ cross: “Climb the tree on which Jesus hung for you, and you will see Jesus.”15 This thought can be developed further. Whereas Jesus hung on the tree because he was crucified (23:33), Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down from the tree (19:5). In effect, the sinner is replaced by the Savior. This is the substitution accomplished by Jesus (Catechism 615). He died on the cross in our place, giving us salvation (19:9), which by grace we can begin to experience today (19:9; 23:43), and which reaches its fullness in the glory of eternal life.
Shepherds like Jesus. The suggested homily in the Rite of Ordination of priests concludes with an exhortation about priestly ministry that echoes Jesus’ words: “Keep always before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd . . . who came to seek out and save what was lost.”16
The Parable of the Returning King (19:11–28)
11While they were listening to him speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God would appear there immediately. 12So he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. 13He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’ 14His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ 15But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. 16The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ 17He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ 18Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ 19And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’ 20Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, 21for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ 22He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; 23why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ 24And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’ 25But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ 26‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.’”
28After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
OT: Deut 23:20–21
NT: Mark 13:34; Luke 8:18; 12:35–48; 16:10. // Matt 25:14–30
Catechism: development of “talents,” 1880
[19:11]
Because Jesus is near Jerusalem, there is speculation that the kingdom of God will appear there immediately. On one level, as Jesus earlier explained in response to the Pharisees’ question, “the kingdom of God is among you” (17:21) because Jesus is present, and his disciples will soon hail him as “king” (19:38) when he approaches Jerusalem. However, contrary to expectations, he will be crucified, precisely as “King” (23:38).17 Hence, on another level, as Jesus will indicate in response to the apostles’ similar question after his resurrection (Acts 1:6), the coming of God’s kingdom in its fullness is still in the future. He must first ascend to heaven before returning, and their mission in the meantime is to be his witnesses (Acts 1:7–11).
In order to convey such a double-level message, Jesus here tells a parable that both interprets the events about to take place in Jerusalem and corrects the expectations that the appearance of God’s kingdom is imminent.
[19:12]
The parable is about kingship (same noun as “kingdom” in Luke 19:11), involving a nobleman who goes to a distant country to become king and then to return. The background to this scenario is the recent history of Archelaus, Herod the Great’s son, who traveled to Rome after his father’s death to be confirmed as the successor to the kingdom by Caesar Augustus.18
In contrast to Archelaus who was a cruel tyrant, however, the man in the parable is presented positively as a noble figure. Specifically, the mention of a kingdom in both this verse and the previous one (v.
11) suggests that the nobleman represents Jesus himself. Some scholars even interpret the man’s going to a distant country and then returning as a reference to Jesus’ ascension into heaven before his second coming.19
[19:13]
There is also a second story within the parable. Before leaving, the nobleman gives ten of his servants the task of trading with ten gold coins, sometimes translated “pounds” or, more literally, “minas” (coins worth a hundred days’ wages). The servants, who each receive the gift of a coin, may represent the disciples of Jesus who will be entrusted with the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 10:45)—and his differing gifts of grace (Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 12:4; Eph 4:7)—for the purpose of carrying out their mission (Acts 1:8). Some details about this second story resemble Matthew’s parable of the talents, in which three servants receive five, two, and one talent20 (Matt 25:14–30). However, the first story, about the nobleman becoming king, and the context of Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem make the interpretation of Luke’s parable somewhat different.
The Gospel of Luke Page 43