Today's Gospel in Art - Salvation comes to the house of Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus, by Willem van Swanenburg 1611 © British Museum, London

Gospel of 17th November 2020 - Luke 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.' And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house' they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, 'Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'

Reflection on the Engraving

Usually Zacchaeus is depicted in art as sitting in a sycamore tree. Today's print is therefore rather unusual, and in my view a more powerful rendering of the subject. He is placed inside his own home. He is seen pointing with his left hand to the bags of money he would have gathered as a senior tax collector. Jesus and the tree are in the background. One hand is clutched to his chest, a sign of mea culpa: he wants to mend his ways. This engraving, published in 1611, is plate 3 from a book titled 'Repentant Sinners of the Old and New Testament'.

Zacchaeus must have been especially unpopular being a senior tax collector. However, he realised that his life needed to change and was determined to 'meet' Jesus. It is particularly the words 'Hurry, come down!' that Jesus shouts to him in the tree that are striking. Hurry! This is a matter of urgency. It will not wait. Conversion cannot wait. It must not wait. Tomorrow will be too late. Today is the day. Hurry! Zacchaeus is also called to come down. Yes, he was a small man and that is why he had to climb the tree to see Jesus, but this was also a man who needed humility. He needed to 'come down' back to earth, with his two feet firmly back on ground. For all these years he had been living the 'high' life, living at a distance from God and from himself.

…and what a wonderful reward he gets: Jesus comes to his house… He also comes to our house. But He can only come to our house if we climb down from that tree of pride… so He can meet the real down-to-earth us...

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/610

Christian Art - www.christian.art