Well, it is hard to know. But if we listen to the words and the thought processes of Eleazar, we see and hear a man of old age who had a fully transformed heart and soul.
He truly loved the Law of God. He did not resent it or regret it.
He did speak about the Law as something that was an obligation, but rather a Way of Life.
And it was something that one did with joy in the heart. And what an example for youth; he understood his responsibility and knew he was a model for others, especially for the young ones.
And so he was not dragged to his place of torture and death, but rather got up and walked willingly on his own to die.
He appears to be a kind of pre-figure of Jesus the Christ who, “willingly accepted death, even death on a cross.”
+ Then we get the splendid story of Zacchaeus. And, whew! There is a “whole lot of seeinggoing on” in this story.
Zacchaeus could not see Jesus because he was “short in stature,” and the crowd was, well, crowded.
Also, a little detail on Zacchaeus: He was well-hated because he took people’s money and gave it to the Romans; he was a tax collector, so he was wealthy.
Moreover, he was a chief tax collector, so he was very hated and very wealthy.
And he was a short one, or maybe we could say, a “little man” — that was literal, and clearly metaphorically true also.
But apparently, although he could not physically see Jesus from the crowd, he saw him in his imagination and must have heard good things about him.
What drew Zacchaeus? Pure curiosity? Perhaps. But at any rate, he climbed a tree to get a look at him; he wanted to see him.
And what a look he got! And for that matter, Jesus, too!
Was Jesus really that good at seeing goodness, at seeing what nobody else could see?
Apparently so, “Come down from that tree,” Jesus said to Zacchaeus.
The people were disgusted! They grumbled — grumbled aloud, “He [Jesus] has gone to the house of a sinner!”
To which Zacchaeus immediately responded, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” b
Yikes! Double yikes!
Who does that except someone who has come to see like he has never seen before, someone who has been transformed?
In an instant, at first sight, this man truly saw!
Do we see?
And we know about another tree — at least it was made from a tree. We call it the cross.
We see Jesus on the cross. Eleazar — although he was born, and lived and died before Jesus entered the world — did something similar to Jesus.
And we are invited in both little and sometimes big ways to do the same as both Eleazar and Jesus.
Do we see? Can we see? Will we see?
And do we hear those same words falling from the lips of Jesus and being spoken to us and about us — even in our sin and imperfect lives?
“Today salvation has come to this house [to this person, to us, to anyone who has eyes to see], and to save what was lost.”
And it is so easy to get lost and to be lost, and ever so wonderful to be found.
Even in a sycamore tree!
Father Perry Dean Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com.
