| January 29, 2022
“Why did the Lord accept money from Zacchaeus the tax collector and bless him?..
By worldly standards, he acted like a failure.
He squandered his property and ruined his children’s inheritance. Lost everything"
— sermon by priest Konstantin Kamyshanov on the Gospel of Zacchaeus.
Paid and free
Today (January 29) the Gospel about Zacchaeus the Publican was read in churches.
So Jesus walks through Jericho and sees the local chief of the tax police sitting on a fig tree and looking at Him.
Christ calls him, and together they go to visit the official for lunch.
At lunch, the taxman suddenly decides to give four times the amount to those he has offended, and give half of his estate to the poor.
This is what happens: you paid and you are free? Gave money and paid off? Did you buy yourself the Kingdom of Heaven with money?
This story is familiar to us. We all know how, in the hard times of bandits, robbers and murderers wore crosses and gave money for the temple. So what, they were saved?
Don't know
I know one priest who refused to accept help from such people. He denied them the right to build a temple with dirty money
I know a place from the Gospel when a sorcerer wanted to buy the grace and power of God from the Apostle Peter. The sorcerer's name was Simon.
And the sin of buying positions in the church has since been called “simony.”
Presence of God
Many of us today talk about manifestations of God in our congregations. “Today there was such a presence of the Spirit”, “God touched me”, “I cried and realized my sins”, “I received healing”, “God revealed His will to me”, “today there was such a good word in the congregation”…. It's very familiar. And Zacchaeus felt the same. It is written that he rejoiced.
Zacchaeus could have confined himself to the presence of Jesus, as many do today. And then tell everyone about it. And everyone would glorify him and say - how great it is that you had Jesus. But the further action of this chief of publicans is not always characteristic of those who also felt the joy of the presence of Jesus.
Zacchaeus didn't ask for anything
Why did the Lord accept money from Zacchaeus the publican and bless him, and in the case of Simon kill the sorcerer?
Zacchaeus didn't actually ask for anything. Neither the Kingdom of God nor the kingdom of the earth. By worldly standards, he acted like a failure. He squandered his property and ruined his children’s inheritance. Lost everything. Became bishop of Caesarea. Then, according to the word of Clement of Rome, he went with the Apostle Peter to Rome and there suffered martyrdom
For any of us, such an exchange of property for a cruel death in a foreign country is temptation, passion, grief and the height of misfortune. On the contrary, we pray so as not to lose either property, health, or life. The loss of all this is a personal disaster for us. And for the Apostle Zacchaeus, fierce death and life full of hardships turned out to be the desired life that he bought from God with his sacrifice to the poor and offended.
So what did Zacchaeus want and what did he hope for?
The Gospel says that Zacchaeus stood in the middle of the dining room and, simply in the delight of his soul, decided to get rid of what had oppressed his soul all his life - the love of money.
Zacchaeus the publican was well aware that he offended people while earning his fortune. And obviously this understanding tormented and depressed his heart.
Being close to Christ, he experienced a strong surge of grace in his heart and realized that the grace and sweetness of the world argue and are at enmity with each other in the human heart. We know this too. For example, we fast not out of love for fanaticism over ourselves, but because we clearly realize that the power of a fat body and the satisfaction of passions lulls the heart. The heart of a full belly is deaf to the spirit. Fasting is like clearing a spring of debris. Fasting weakens the power of dark and inert matter over us, and we become lighter in heart. And in order to make it easier for the heart to rise to heaven, we throw off the ballast, and it rushes to God without hindrance
Zacchaeus shed ballast differently than we do - a teaspoon per year. And I dropped everything at once. He was a smart man and knew how to count. We, too, seem to be smart people. But about such a mind and about such people they say:
-He’s smart, but his mind is a fool.
Zacchaeus did not buy or ask for anything. He simply threw his money chains at the feet of Christ and became free. His body became less free without money. But the soul became absolutely free from the earth. She became like God in freedom. Because freedom is one of the most important attributes of God. We are all looking for this divine freedom, but not there.
As a conclusion
It is important not just to feel the presence of God and rejoice that while singing you were filled with grace or healing came. That the word in the congregation today was very helpful. That the manifestations of the Spirit through prophecy, the word of knowledge, visions were very interesting. It is important to respond to God to his presence. Jesus is the Word. And the Word is living and active. We were created to do the works of God.
It's always not enough, it's always a pity
There is no sin in wealth. A rich person is normally God's accountant. God gives a person intelligence, stubbornness, health, strength, makes him a little stupid, because a smart person cannot love money and gives the treasury to the rich.
Spend it on yourself, leave it for people and give it to God’s work. The Old Testament required tithing. Christ asked to love your neighbor as yourself. That is, you should give half. But who does it?
We are basically poor people and we think that we have nothing to give.
That's what everyone says. And partly, right. Christ himself did not accept the sacrifice at the temple - the corvan, when it was brought by a man whose father was languishing in grief.
Recently a healthy man came and asked for a job in the church. It turns out that his wife and three children live in poverty, and he came to a church where they pay almost nothing. I had to send him home
- Go. Nourish your family, children, wife, parents. Earn money and if you have a surplus, donate it to God’s work and to works of mercy. Marry your daughters. Rest your parents in peace. And then go and become a monk. But, since you made a mistake in yourself and got married, be kind enough to keep your small church in order. A small church cannot be desolate. You will be of more use to the world. Having such a bad attitude towards your loved ones will do you no good in the church. People go to church out of love, not run away from it
We don't give anything to the poor and weak because we never have enough.
The poor have a hard time finding money to pay apartment taxes. They barely have enough for food and medicine
We've just got some money, but it's not enough for good housing. For good doctors. For good teachers and good clothes
The man also became rich. He no longer wants to be treated in Russia and goes to Germany. Resting in the Alps or Spain. A decent house is already required, no worse than people’s.
And so on ad infinitum.
The poor fellow is sitting in a hotel in the Alps in front of the fireplace. Warming up after a ski trip. He drinks red wine and, looking at the fire, suffers and is bored. You can't feed your heart with money. And there is always little money, and you always feel sorry for them.
Games and activities
Game and obstacles
Create an indoor or outdoor obstacle course using items you have on hand. Not only will kids love a challenge, but they will also be working on their gross motor skills. Use activities such as walking, jumping, balancing and climbing. Adapt them to your child's abilities so that they are challenging but doable. Talk about the obstacles that come in the way of people coming to Jesus.
Sort by size
Use random toys or objects. The child should try to line up the toys from the smallest to the largest.
If you are in a group of children, the children should line up by height.
At home, you can take a family photo with your family, lining everyone up by height.
Prepositions and wood
Help your child learn about prepositions with the help of a tree. Take photos to document your child in the following locations. In front, under, on, in, next to and behind.
Print out the photos and attach the labels correctly.
Christ or money?
Christ did not say empty words: it is easier for a rope to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It was not because He said that because He, as a Marxist, was looking for social justice, but simply indicated the danger of the situation. Christ did not scold the rich, but only suggested the path to happiness and showed the trap along this path.
This trap is in the heart, because the Kingdom of Heaven is also in the heart, and the path to it runs through the heart. Big money often disfigures people.
Often it is not only impossible to live with such people, it is also impossible to even communicate with them as human beings. Rich people are often arrogant, arrogant, selfish, angry, insolent, and therefore simply stupid. They torture people around them and suffer themselves. It’s as if they live on fire themselves and burn with this fire everyone who gets in their way
But Zacchaeus the Publican guessed, and choosing between money and Christ, he chose Christ.
Christ or money? Should we love our neighbor as ourselves, or should everyone love themselves, and let God help everyone according to their righteousness? Let him give much to the righteous.
Let him not give anything to the sinner. We are on our own. It's already difficult for us
Well, let a person not reach the Gospel. Let him then observe the light measure of the Old Testament, fulfill the simple commandments and leave the tithe. But this is not the case either.
Okay, what do we do in church then? What are we looking for in it?
Zacchaeus sought Christ's love. He found it in Caesarea and Rome. I was looking for love, but found death.
But there is no death, and we will not be able to die.
He sought and found within himself the Kingdom of God, and in it Christ
Let us pray to the Apostle Zacchaeus to help us understand the words of Christ:
– Seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will follow
Grace, strength, spirit, joy, and the meaning of life will be added - and heaven will open to the heart
The Lord, after all, is also glad to give us what he has.
So we are not alone in the sacrifice of love. Even the persons of the Trinity exist by this sacrifice.
ABOUT THE MYTAR ZACCHEAUS
February 10, 2022
Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke. Chapter 19. 1-10. Conception 94. Read on the 37th week after Pentecost
- Jesus came to Jericho
- And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief of tax collectors and a rich man,
- Sought to see Jesus for who He is; but he could not follow the people, because he was small in stature.
- And he ran ahead and climbed up a fig tree to see Him; because he had to pass by her.
- When Jesus came to this place, he looked and saw him, and said to him; Zacchaeus! Come down quickly; for today I need to be in your house.
The Lord steals the strongest vessels from the devil and destroys his cities. For look how He not only made the publicans His disciples, but also captured the eldest among the tax collectors, Zacchaeus, for salvation. And that the tax collector is a low creature, and the eldest among tax collectors, as one who rules in malice, is even more vile, no one doubts that. For publicans acquire their means of living only from the tears of the poor. However, this elder among the tax collectors is not left in contempt, but shows hospitality and receives salvation as a reward. For when he wished to see Jesus and for this purpose climbed a fig tree, the Lord saw him before he himself saw Him. So God precedes us everywhere, as soon as he sees our readiness.
- And he hastened down and received Him with joy.
- And everyone, seeing this, began to murmur and said that He had come to a sinful man;
Jesus, seeing him, commands him to get down quickly, since He is about to be in his house. Zacchaeus did not hesitate, for one should not shirk when Christ commands something, but he got down and “accepted... with joy,” although many grumbled. Let us see what fruits it bears on the occasion of Christ's visit .
- Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord: Lord! I will give half of my property to the poor, and if I have offended anyone, I will repay him fourfold.
“Half of my property,... Lord,” he says, “I will give to the poor.” Do you see the heat? He began to sow without mercy and gave not just a little, but his entire life. For the very thing that he withheld, he withheld in order to be able to give to the offended. This also teaches us that there is no benefit if someone, having unrighteous wealth, shows mercy to others, but ignores the offended. Look how he acts in this case too. “If he has offended anyone in any way,” he returns “fourfold,” thereby compensating for the loss caused to the offended person. For true mercy not only returns a loss, but also with an addition, in accordance with the Law. For the Law forced the one who stole to pay fourfold (Ex. 22:1). Even if we look closely, we will see that he has absolutely nothing left of his estate. For he gives half of his property to the poor, and he only has half left. From this remaining half he again returns fourfold to those whom he has offended. Therefore, if the life of this elder publican consisted of lies, and he returns fourfold for everything that he acquired through falsehood, then look how he lost everything. In this respect, he turns out to be wise above the Law, a disciple of the Gospel, since he loved his neighbor more than himself, and this is not only in promise, but also in reality. For he did not say: I will give half, I will return fourfold, but: here I “give”, “return.” He knows Solomon’s instruction: “Do not say...: “Go and come again, and tomorrow I will give” (Proverbs 3:28).
- Jesus said to him, “Now salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham,
Christ preaches salvation to him. “Now,” he says, “you give, now you are saved.” For the words “to this house” undoubtedly indicate Zacchaeus receiving salvation. By house we mean Zacchaeus, because the Lord would not call a soulless building the son of Abraham, but obviously called the animated owner of the house that way. He called him the son of Abraham, perhaps because he believed and was justified by faith, and perhaps because he generously despised wealth and loved the poor like this patriarch. Note: The Lord called Zacchaeus the son of Abraham now that he saw in him the similarity in lifestyle. He did not say: because this son of Abraham was, but now is. For before, being an elder of publicans and a tax collector, and not having any resemblance to the righteous man, he was not his son.
- for the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.
Since some grumbled that the Lord went to the house of a sinful husband, then, in order to stop their mouths, He says: “The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.” This is the literal meaning.
But it is convenient to explain this in another way, in favor of morality. Anyone who is older than many in wickedness is small in spiritual stature, for the flesh and spirit are opposite to each other, and therefore cannot see Jesus for the people; that is, confused by passions and worldly affairs, he cannot see Jesus acting, moving and walking. For such a person does not feel any action befitting a Christian. And the walk of Jesus means that Christ works something in us. Such a person, who has never seen Jesus walking and has not experienced any action befitting Christ, often comes to consciousness out of repentance and climbs a fig tree, that is, he despises and tramples on all pleasure and pleasantness, which are signified by the fig tree, and thus, having risen above himself and putting the ascension in the heart, he sees Jesus, and he himself sees Him. Then the Lord says to him: “come down quickly,” that is, through repentance you came to a higher life, but come down through humility so that arrogance does not deceive you. Humble yourself quickly, because if you humble yourself, then “I... need... to be in your house.” “I,” he says, “need to be in the house of the humble.” For “to whom will I look: to him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and to him who trembles at My word” (Isa. 66:2). Such a person gives half of his property to the poor, that is, to demons. We have two kinds of possessions, that is, physical and mental. The righteous man surrenders everything bodily to demons, who are truly poor and deprived of all good, but he does not give up his spiritual possessions. As you know, the Lord also says about Job: “Only save his soul” (Job 2:6). If he offends anyone in any way, he pays fourfold. This hints at the fact that anyone who, through repentance, switches to a path contrary to previous evil, heals all previous sins with four virtues and thus receives salvation. He is called the son of Abraham, since, like Abraham, he came out of his land and from the affinity of his former malice, he settled outside his father’s house, that is, outside himself, and denied himself (for he was the house of his father the devil (John 8, 44), and thus, having become outside himself and alienated, receives salvation.
Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria
Bible craft – Zacchaeus Tree
Necessary:
- Template page (use cardstock for best results),
- Colour pencils,
- Scissors
- Scotch
- Thread.
What to do:
- Color the template pages.
- Cut out the tree, Zacchaeus, and tag.
- Make a hole where indicated. Thread the thread through the hole and secure one end of the thread to Zacchaeus with tape. Tie the other end of the thread to the tag.
“The Son of Man came to seek and save the Lost.” Luke 19:10
