Fr.Elijah Fanous

Meditations on the Readings of the 3rd Sunday of Thout

The Lord desires everyone to be saved. However, not all people desire salvation.

Zacchaeus wanted to see the Lord as we all desire to see His salvation.

However, the multitudes prevented him just as our sins, weaknesses, desires, and sometimes “friends” prevent us from marching toward our salvation.

Zacchaeus was of a short stature, not only physically only but also spiritually.

To see Christ and attain the salvation, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree. This tree means:

1. Meet Christ at the cross and carry the cross and follow Christ to gain salvation.
2. To climb, you need to tread on the lusts, desires, and various sins
3. The tree can also represent the Church that lifts us up from the world

When the Lord commanded Zacchaeus “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”, he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. He was obedient. To attain the salvation of our souls, we need to be obedient.

Zacchaeus was accustomed to taking from the people; however, when the Lord lodged at his house, he started to give and changed. To attain change, we need to change and renew our ways.

John Chrysostom also comments on the words of our Lord: ““For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10):

Now, since he (man) consists of two parts, body and soul…so in which of these two (parts) is man lost in? If he is lost in his body, then the Son of Man will only save the body, since He saves that which is lost. On the other hand, if man is lost in his soul, then salvation is designed for the lost soul; and the body which is not lost is safe. Alternatively, if man is wholly lost, in both his natures, then it necessarily follows that salvation is appointed for the entire man. Then, the opinion of the heretics is shivered to pieces, who say that there is no salvation of the flesh. And this affords a confirmation that Christ belongs to the Creator, who followed the Creator in promising the salvation of the whole man.