The Net of Love and the Light of Righteousness

He was able to dry up the objectors, to annihilate all the god-fighters. But because he did not come to judge the world, but to save, as he himself said, the power is demonstrated upon the soul, and philanthropy is stored up for men. Thus also here he continues to follow the blind man, so that the fresh memory might dissolve the stumbling block, so that they might have the miracle flashing out.

But he received another wonder; for after the lifting up of the blind man, another blind man lifted up his soul. Who is this? The architect of those blinding regarding money, the one with a blind soul due to greed; for nothing so blinds the soul as money. Because of this Moses says: For they blindly strike the eyes of men, and he rejoices in righteous words. The architect has come, and Jesus gives, the one dissolving all sin, the one annihilating all evil, the one changing darkness into light, and bringing crooked things into a straight line.

Zacchaeus was short in age, but his desire was stretched out; short the body, but great the mind; for he sought to see Jesus, and he was not able because of the shortness of age; and having anticipated, by a device he makes up for the deficiency of age; for he runs up upon a sycamore, and passing Jesus, he saw him. But our Lord Jesus Christ, concerning whom Paul says, 'He who knows how to do exceedingly more than we ask or think' (Ephesians 3:20), did not give to him only as much as he desired, but more than he expected. For he only desired to see, but he was made worthy also of the receiving.

And he says to him, the one having seen his mind (for before he went up into the sycamore, he knew his mind): 'Zacchaeus, hurrying, come down.' A good fisherman is the Savior, bringing a soul from a tree. 'Zacchaeus, hurrying, come down.' He examined for him the rod of the word, he placed the hook of love, he took him from the wings of the mind, and he leads him under his own Church. And see, what he does. So that you may not think the word to be something forced, but that the word of God is as a fisherman, the blessed Zechariah says: 'And the Lord showed me a fisherman's vessel, and said to me: I will by no means pass by my people, until, he says, I fish them.' Thus truth having been testified, that the...

The word of God is a net, entangling souls with love as a net. And just as that glue cannot later separate the held thing from the holder, so also the souls united to the Savior are stuck like with a fisherman's glue.

For this reason, the beautiful young bird caught, David said: 'My soul clung to you behind you' (Ps 62:8). And again the Apostle: 'He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit' (1 Cor 6:17). He fishes for Zacchaeus, and brings him down from the tree, and brings himself into his house, which once he himself had known through sins, but today the light of piety has enlightened.

As therefore the Savior entered, the tax collector received him rejoicing. Oh, the much goodness of the Lord! The sinless one with sinners, the fountain of righteousness with the matter of injustice; for matter of injustice is greed. He entered into the house of the tax collector, not being insulted by the finger of greed, but by the ray of righteousness annihilating the greed.

And see the wonderful thing: immediately Zacchaeus, standing before the door, says: 'Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor' (Luke 19:8). You have not yet been taught, and you obey? You have not yet learned, and you have kept it? The Savior said nothing, nothing he taught, nothing about almsgiving he proposed, not love of the poor he commanded then, but he was silent, and by resting he enlightened; and just as a sun entering through the rays into a house, not by a word it enlightens, but by that energy it shines; so also the Savior, having entered, with the rays of righteousness cut off the path of injustice; 'For the light shines in the darkness' (John 1:5), as the evangelist says.

'Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor' (Luke 19:8). Well he divides the greed, he cuts the injustice. 'The half of my possessions.' Everything whole is strong, but being cut is weak. 'The half of my possessions.' Oh, the beautiful voice, conquering nature, but rather conquering habit! For habit is a second nature. He cut off greed, he recognized the truth.

'I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have wronged or slandered anyone, I give back fourfold' (Luke 19:8). Here it is necessary to pay precise attention, because the wealth of Zacchaeus was not from injustice only, but also from paternal inheritance.