The Teacher of Experience and Zacchaeus

A rustic, the poor man, approaching Zacchaeus with greed, was collecting tithes, legally robbing, without a sword shedding blood. For one struck by iron and receiving a flowing wound flees in insensibility to escape the severity of the pain, but one shot by an inaudible poverty has the pain of death and has died; not being spent once, but dying always little by little.

And to speak briefly, just as difficult fortresses are to soldiers, and treacherous rocks to sailors, and suspicious companies to those warring, so Zacchaeus was a stumbling block to merchants and travelers, to shepherds and herdsmen. But this one, having become obsessed with such irrational collection of wealth, was unable to see Jesus; for both the smallness of age and the heaviness of injustice held him back.

Therefore, now healing the poverty of age by running forward with the ingenuity of understanding, he went up before to the sycamore tree and hides himself under the grasping leaves, thinking to see and not to be seen, supposing to remain hidden from Him who knows all; which is indeed what the bleeding woman experienced, supposing to steal Jesus, He who steals such things with pleasure. But she, even though having become near the vessel, touched it, while this one, being at a distance, seized Him by the faith of Christ.

Therefore He goes up to the wood, healing the evils of Adam; for one wanders under the wood fleeing God, but the one is saved from the wood desiring to see God. For hearing how many and paradoxical wonders He works, as healing both bodies and souls, removing the sins of the souls and granting health to the bodies, he desired to see Him who forgives all things to all, reasoning to himself: 'What sort of man is this Jesus, who cleanses the lepers, heals the blind, and forgives sins to those who ask? What kind of appearance, what kind of form? Does He know all things? Does He even know the thoughts of those who are far away?'

Does he test us? Or does he examine only the thoughts of those accompanying him? Does he search out the notions as a God of each heart? How then shall I know these things? Which of these shall I take as teacher? Which? Experience, the teacher of all things.

Having ascended upon the tree, I hide myself under the thick foliage of the leaves. I remain unseen and I learn if I am able to be saved. If he knows the movement of my soul, I know that he wipes away the sin of my soul; I shall know this one thing, that he knows the hidden things of the thoughts.

If, being pressed by the crowd, he sees me who is hiding, and not only sees but also uncovers the desire of my soul, I choose to throw away all things and find one. I wish to imitate Matthew; for he too was a tax collector as I am, but Matthew did not sit down arbitrarily, but having been called, he obeyed.

Perhaps he, seeing him and thinking him one of the travelers, cupped his hands and made his bosom deep by habit, preparing to receive a vehicle and wishing to collect for Christ, was completed by him not even in form, but giving his whole self. For he heard at once: 'Come after me.' He surpassed the call with a sharper readiness, running quickly to the one drawing him.

If, therefore, a tax collector is called and not only called but also justified, the crowd of those who preceded me does not harm me; for if Elisha, having thrown salt upon the nourished spring, worked its barrenness into fruitfulness, so also he, having seasoned my soul with grace as with salt, awakens it to the fruitfulness of virtue.

While he was thinking these things, Jesus came to the place; looking up, he says to him: 'Zacchaeus, hasten and come down' (Luke 19:5). You ascended into the tree as a tax collector; come down from the tree as a lover of God. Come down from the wood onto the earth, so that you may ascend through the cross to heaven. You ascended upon a tree hiding from men; may you ascend through the cross, being granted grace to the angels. Therefore, hasten and come down; for today...