In Luke’s Gospel, a tax collector named Zacchaeus climbs a plane tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he passes through Jericho. He is rich, reviled, but small in stature and spirit. Yet Jesus stopped, looked up, and called out his name. “Hurry up and come down, because I have to stay at your house tonight.” It’s a moment that overturns all expectations. The outcast becomes the host. Seekers become seekers.
To the north of Cairo stands the Tree of Our Lady, a plane tree where the Holy Family is said to have once rested on their way to Egypt. For centuries, gardeners have taken branches from dead trees and replanted them, so each new plane tree takes on the life of the previous tree. Pilgrims still touch its bark and “absorb its essence,” says one writer.
Sycamore tree—fig— has deep roots in the ancient world. The sudden Latin words remind us that this is not just a legend. A living species that is older than empires and bears witness to perseverance. In Egypt, it is a sacred tree to Hathor, the goddess of life and resurrection, and its shade and fruit are valued as a modest yet supportive tree.
In Israel it stood as the poor man’s tree, its soft wood was used for coffins and its fruit was used for the poor. More than myth and scripture, it was a bridge between heaven and earth, a sign of rebirth, generosity and divine abundance.
Zacchaeus did more than just climb trees. The plane tree in Luke 19 signified generosity in rebellion against Rome’s exploitative economy. It is not a wealth of possessions but a wealth of being, already here but hidden.
We chase growth, metrics, and reach, mistaking accumulation for vitality. We value visibility over attention, productivity over presence, and progress over proportion. Ezra Klein also in his new book abundancewhich folds moral hope into techno-optimism and treats human flourishing as a matter of scale. His argument is an extension of the same logic that Zacchaeus once climbed to escape: salvation lies in having more.
But in the story, the tax collector is not a fallen man. Rather than asking Zacchaeus to repent of his wicked ways, Jesus tells him to “come down quickly,” and then, in effect, says, “I want to be with you.”
“All the earth is mine!” says Yahweh, “and all that dwell therein,” Psalm 24 adds, and perhaps in the long run that also applies to you and me.
God’s love is not a high score on a test, it is no score at all, no pass or fail. We are not loved because we are worthy. We have value because we are loved. God’s grace is undeserved favor given to us simply because we are saints, sinners, or both.
There’s one catch. Grace, like any gift, becomes ours only if we reach out and receive it. Maybe even reach is a gift. Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see more clearly, but when he was called to come down, he came down. Otherwise, I would have continued with my work as usual.
It was after receiving Jesus’ acceptance that Zacchaeus chose to give half of his wealth to the poor. “If I deceive someone, I will pay back four times the amount.” He didn’t say this to prove his worth, but because he didn’t need to. He wasn’t great because he had to, but because he had to. It’s difficult to be grateful and live as if you’re not grateful.
The plane tree becomes a place where heaven and earth meet, where distance is shortened and separation ends. Like the pilgrims who visit the Virgin’s tree today, Zacchaeus climbs towards healing, reaching what is lasting: not the wealth of possessions but the wealth of being, that which is already here but hidden.
It would be equally true that we would benefit if we could abandon capitalism and live more equitably. The desire to measure value by things that can be counted is more deeply ingrained than any system; it is a habit of mind.
The story of Zacchaeus reminds us that existence, not progress, is the greater richness. Just being seen and called by name is rich enough. Meister Eckhart said: “If the only prayer in your life is thank you, that’s enough.”
That’s where faith begins. It begins not with reaching high, but with hearing the call below.
prayer
it doesn’t have to be that way
Blue iris, maybe
A weed or a few in a vacant lot
small stone. just
Please be careful before applying the patch
Say a few words together and don’t try
To be more specific, this is not the case.
It’s a contest, but it’s an entrance.
in gratitude and silence
You may hear another voice.
— mary oliver thirst (2007)
notes and reading
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The Story of Zacchaeus — In Western dictionaries (Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Mainline Protestant), Luke 19:1-10 is the gospel reading assigned to the 31st Sunday of the common year (November 2 this year). In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the same passage is read on Zacchaeus Sunday, which marks the beginning of pre-Lent.
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Joseph Fitzmyer – Gospel of Luke – Anchor Bible Commentary (1981-1985). The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) is featured in Volume 2. Detailed expositions beyond the scope of this discussion are notable for their attention to textual issues and comprehensive engagement with secondary literature.
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Luke Timothy Johnson – Luke’s Gospel” (Liturgical Press, 1991. Easier to read than Fitzmyer, yet more scholarly, with strong attention to Luke’s theological themes and narrative artistry.
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Love, Grace – Frederick Buechner, Wishful thinking: Theological ABCs (1973). “The core elements of what C.S. Lewis called ‘mere Christianity’ were not arrogant but godless.” Edmund Fuller new york times book review. Also, William Sloan Coffin creed (2004), 1-29.
“If we are not yet one in love, we are at least one in sin. It is no ordinary bond, for judgment precludes the possibility of separation.” – WS coffin
last play
no kings
About 2+2=5
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
