Поучение в 32-ю неделю. О Закхее

“The Son of man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Beloved brothers! These words, filled with mercy, which we heard today in the Gospel, were spoken by God made man about a sinner, whom the righteous judgment of God called lost, who was sought by the power and grace of redemption, included and inscribed among the saved. Sinner – Zacchaeus was a publican and an elder of publicans. He had significant wealth, as the Gospel mentions, thereby hinting at the means by which wealth was acquired. Tax collectors were called tax collectors. Money is tempting! The glitter of gold and silver fascinates the eyes of Adam's descendant, infected with sinfulness, and where money revolves, abuse rarely, rarely does not creep in. Publicans, for the most part, indulged in covetousness. When covetousness turns into passion, then it allows itself all the violence, all the oppression of its neighbor. To help the passion of covetousness comes the passion of deceit and hypocrisy. From their combination is a disposition towards pickiness, which, under the pretext of unfailing execution of the laws, attaches itself to all the little things, inventing guilt for the innocent, intensifying by such behavior to give the appearance of justice to inhuman oppression and cruelty committed against neighbors. Due to their nature, publicans served as an object of horror for the people, an object of contempt for moral people. Zacchaeus was an elder of publicans: his abuses were greater than the abuses of his subordinates. It is mentioned that he was rich for a reason! He enriched himself by untruths; his sin was covetousness; His mental illness was selfishness and unmercifulness and lack of compassion for humanity stemming from selfishness. Due to grave sins, due to the criminal mood of his soul, Zacchaeus is called lost. It was not a frivolous, often erroneous human judgment that declared him dead - God pronounced a determination about him. Zacchaeus became an inveterate sinner: in order to accumulate wealth through abuse, it takes a long time and constancy in the way of action. The reason for the sinful life of Zacchaeus is the same as the reason for the sinful life of many today: in following the generally accepted custom of behavior and in ignorance or knowledge of the most superficial Law of God. Usually publicans were carried away by the vice of covetousness, and Zacchaeus was also carried away by it. The majority of the population of Judea, contemporary with Christ, was occupied almost exclusively with their earthly position, striving for material development and earthly prosperity. Then the Law of God was studied most only by letter; divine services were performed most to satisfy the ritual establishment; virtues were performed superficially, coldly, more in order to influence public opinion. Zacchaeus was content with this. He lived like everyone else lived. And now we often hear: “I live like everyone else lives.” A vain excuse, a deceptive consolation! Something else is proclaimed and bequeathed by the word of God. “Behold,” says It, “the narrow gate: as a wide gate and a broad way you lead into destruction, and many are those who enter through it. That you bring a narrow gate and a strait path into the belly, and those who find it eat few” (Matthew 7:13–14). The narrow gate is a careful, thorough study of the Law of God both in Scripture and in life; the narrow path is activity entirely directed according to the Gospel commandments. While Zacchaeus lived his life according to the custom of a world hostile to God and arranged for himself, according to the wisdom and expression of the world, a secure position, not devoid of significance and splendor, and in spiritual terms he was a lost sinner, already doomed to eternal languor in the dungeons of hell, at that time the Savior of the world made his wanderings on earth, in the inheritance of the twelve tribes of Israel. Zacchaeus was inflamed with a desire to see the Lord and proved the sincerity of his desire with his actions. His will was accepted by the Lord, who knew the heart, and the Lord was pleased to visit Zacchaeus in his home. The sinner was overcome with joy when he saw the Lord come to him, and the sinner was disgusted by his sins, his heart was rejected from love for the fruit of a sinful life, for corruptible wealth. Having become a heart-reader before the Lord, Zacchaeus said: “Behold, the half of my substance, O Lord, will I give to the poor: and whoever I have offended, I will repay in quadruples” (Luke 19:8). This vow consists of consciousness of sin, repentance and correction, combined with the greatest self-sacrifice. Zacchaeus confesses to covetousness and decides to atone for the oppression of his neighbors with abundant rewards; Zacchaeus confesses to greed and decides to cleanse and sanctify his property and his heart by abundantly giving alms. Zacchaeus' repentance is immediately accepted by the Lord. About that sinner, who a few minutes before belonged to the number of the rejected and lost, the Lord proclaims: “Today salvation has come to this house, and now this son Abraham is” (Luke 19:9). Zacchaeus was a descendant of Abraham according to the flesh; but according to the judgment of God only through virtue is he adopted as a son to Abraham. By the word “house” one can understand the soul of Zacchaeus, into which salvation ascended following repentance, which cleansed this soul from sin; This word of the Lord could have applied to the family of Zacchaeus, who, following the example of their head, with self-sacrifice similar to his, as often happens, entered into the true knowledge of God and into a life pleasing to God. Everyone who saw that the Lord visited Zacchaeus’s house grumbled, recognizing it as indecent and humiliating for the Lord to visit such a sinner as Zacchaeus was considered in public opinion. The sacrament of redemption was and remains incomprehensible to carnal minds, which with equal power and convenience heals all human sins, both large and small, and removes sinners from every disastrous abyss, no matter how deep the abyss. For such an amazing action, it requires a person to have faith in the Redeemer and sincere repentance. Those who murmured because they did not understand; They did not understand because before their eyes a work of God was taking place, incomprehensible to the human mind, not illuminated by grace. Explaining the incomprehensible and revealing the immense power of redemption, the Lord said: “The son of man came to seek and save the lost.” God, having taken upon Himself humanity, not sought and not called by men, Himself, in His ineffable goodness, came to “seek and save” the human race, which perished due to alienation and distance from God, came to “seek and save” every person drawn into destruction by sin, so long as this person does not reject the God who seeks and wants to save him. The Holy Gospel can be likened to a mirror. Each of us, if he wants, will see in it the state of his soul and that omnipotent healing that is offered by the omnipotent doctor, God. God the Son calls Himself “Son of man” because He took on humanity and spoke among men, no different from them in appearance. This is a consequence of infinite divine love, ineffable divine humility. The “Son of Man” - let's say according to human custom - had the right to forgive all sins of people as He offered Himself, the all-perfect God, as an atoning sacrifice for humanity and destroyed all the sins of people, both insignificant and significant, with the immense, immeasurable value of the redemptive price. The judgment of the “Son of Man” over people, as we see in the Gospel, is completely different from other people who judge their neighbors from their own righteousness, rejected by God and damaged by sin. The Savior justified all sinners who accepted redemption through repentance and faith, although people condemned them; on the contrary, he condemned all those who rejected redemption through the rejection of repentance and faith, although people recognized them as righteous, worthy of respect and rewards. In the Gospel mirror today we saw a sinner, carried away by the passion of covetousness, who worked for this passion with improper exactions and various insults to his neighbors; They saw this sinner, condemned by men, justified by God for his faith and true repentance. A comforting, encouraging sight! And to this day the Savior, according to His false promise, remains among us; and to this day He heals souls ulcerated by sins; and His Divine definition has not yet passed by: “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” Amen. You might be interested in: