Save the lost

31st Sunday Of Ordinary Time, Year C

Today’s Gospel theme is conversion and repentance and like last week involves a tax collector.  His name is Zacchaeus and he was a chief tax collector. The story of Zacchaeus is unique to Luke’s Gospel, the name Zacchaeus in Hebrew means “the pure or innocent one” but there was nothing pure or innocent about him. His wealth came from a corrupt system in which the Jewish tax collectors charged more than required, keeping the extra money for themselves. Zacchaeus literally made his money at the expense of others. Needless to say he was despised and loathed by the general public. 

Zacchaeus was not happy with his lifestyle; he had heard about Jesus and was curious to meet him. He wanted to know what was different about Jesus so when Jesus came to his town of Jericho he ran ahead of the crowds and because he was a short man climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus passing by. When Jesus saw him, he said, “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.” Jesus did not condemn Zacchaeus as a sinner but invited Himself to his home. The people were shocked and grumbled because Jesus was dinning with a sinner. In Jesus’ culture to dine together was to show a bond of fellowship and peace amongst those at the table. Jews did not generally dine with foreigners and sinners. Yet Jesus chooses to honour the tax collector, Zacchaeus by staying at his house. The way Jesus accepted Zacchaeus and didn’t condemn him or criticise him helped Zacchaeus to see that he could change his life and be a better person. Zacchaeus’ offer to give half his wealth to the poor, and repay four-fold those he has cheated, shows the depth of his commitment to Jesus. Zacchaeus’ conversion is dramatic and generous, a reflection of Jesus’ goodness and teaches us that no one is beyond redemption. Jesus says to Zacchaeus, “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 is lost.” These words of Jesus can give us hope and encouragement too in our daily lives. In calling Zacchaeus ‘son of Abraham’ (those chosen by God) Jesus is declaring Zacchaeus’ worth. God’ s grace and mercy reaches into all our hearts. Jesus helps us to make new and better choices, at work, in our family with our friends, we are all worthy of redemption and we can make changes at any time. Remember, Jesus didn’t come to call the righteous but the unrighteous. He came to seek and save the lost, and the truth is that we are all a little lost.

A reading from the Gospel of Luke (Lk 19: 1-10) 

At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.

So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “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.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why?
  3. God’s gift of redemption is offered to us all, no matter how many mistakes we make if we are willing to acknowledge them and be prepared to change then we will be rewarded. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an important part of our Christian lives even if we may find it a little awkward. Remember Jesus’ invitation is always open.  
  4. Take time this week to discuss with your family how you might receive Jesus in your home just like Zacchaeus. Explain that Jesus gives us choices and that by following the Gospel we can join Jesus on the way of love and compassion as one of His disciples.  
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this Gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare;
    i. The Bible reading from St Luke (Lk 19: 1-10)
    ii. A candle
    iii. Cover the table with a green cloth
    v. A computer/laptop with the readings and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested).
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊 

In the Gospel today, we meet Zacchaeus who was a tax collector. He had heard about Jesus and wanted to meet him. There was a problem though. Zacchaeus was a very short man. He came up with a good idea to see Jesus. He climbed into a tree. Let’s listen to the story.

  • Jesus shows us that everyone is loved
  • Jesus is full of forgiveness and his love always helps us to make a fresh start
  • Tree and Zacchaeus templates
  • Scissors/glue stick
  • Pencil colours
  • Green tissue paper/craft card
Zacchaeus templateDownload
Tree templateDownload

Zacchaeus is a tax collector, a rich man. The people did not like him as they thought he cheated and took extra money for himself when he collected the taxes. Zacchaeus wanted to meet Jesus. He was curious to see the man whom everyone was talking about. He lived in Jericho and Jesus was visiting the town. Many people gathered in the streets and since Zacchaeus was a very short man, he decided to climb into a tree so that he could get a good view of Jesus. As Jesus came to the sycamore tree where Zacchaeus sat on one of the branches, he stopped and looked up, and said, “Zacchaeus, you come down, for I am going to your house today.”

The people in the crowd were shocked! How could Jesus go to this man’s house, he was a cheat and a sinner. The people could not believe that Jesus wanted to visit a man like that, but Jesus saw that this was a chance to help Zacchaeus turn from his bad ways. It was a way to change Zacchaeus’ heart, Jesus was ready to forgive all his sins and to help him make a fresh start.

Zacchaeus knew that he had cheated people and when Jesus arrived at his house, he confessed and said he was sorry for what he had done. He said to Jesus” I am going to give half of all that I own to the poor, if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Since Zacchaeus was sorry for what he had done and confessed his sin, Jesus forgave him and said, “Today salvation has come to this house.” 

Zacchaeus was a little man with a big problem, he was a sinner but when he met Jesus, he changed his life completely. It doesn’t matter who you are, or how many bad things you done, if you are willing to say sorry to Jesus, he will forgive you, because Jesus loves every one of us, even the sinners. 

Have you ever felt really bad because of something you did or said? What do you think Jesus would say to you if you were sorry for it? Do you think there is any sin which Jesus cannot forgive? Well, there isn’t any. We ask Jesus to forgive us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If we are ready to say sorry and to change our hearts, then Jesus will forgive us. Jesus came to save us from our sins, he will change your life just like he changed the life of Zacchaeus, if you let him. 

To remind yourself of today’s Gospel message, that when we meet Jesus, we have a change of heart and want to say sorry for our sins print out the two templates. Reinforce the tree by sticking it on the card, colour the tree trunk brown. Colour and cut out Zacchaeus. Next cut out small squares of tissue paper and stick them on the tree as leaves, now stick Zacchaeus on one of the branches. 

Write on the page FOR THE SON OF MAN CAME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THE LOST (Lk 19:10).  

Do this whilst listening to this song:   Change my heart oh God.

Sign of the Cross.

Dear God, our loving Father, thank you for your love and forgiveness. Help me to grow close to you and never be afraid to say sorry whenever I do or say something that I know is wrong.

I ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s Gospel Jesus meets Zacchaeus, a rich tax collector.  Zacchaeus is a short man, eager to meet Jesus. One day Jesus comes to his town but the crowd gets in the way, so Zacchaeus climbs a tree in order to see him passing by. As soon as Jesus sees Zacchaeus, he calls “come on down, I am coming to your house today.”

  • Jesus is full of forgiveness and his love always helps us to make a fresh start
  • We ask Jesus to forgive us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation
  • Tree and leaves template
  • Scissors/glue stick
  • Pencils/colours
Leaves templateDownload
Tree template Download

Jesus had a special love for people who turned from their lives of sin to repent and live the way that God wants. Today Jesus meets one of those people, he is a tax collector called Zacchaeus. In his encounter with Jesus, Zacchaeus experiences a change of heart, a conversion, and receives the gift of reconciliation.

When you do something wrong, how might you feel afterwards? Maybe you feel upset or worried, how can you correct that wrong? Having a change of heart and being sorry certainly helps. After meeting Jesus Zacchaeus changed his ways and apologised for all his wrongdoing. We can also meet Jesus and have a change of heart in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and a wealthy man. In Jesus’ time tax collectors often cheated people by collecting more money than was required to pay the tax, keeping the extra money for themselves. 

Zacchaeus really wanted to meet Jesus and because he was a short man, he had to climb into a tree to be able to see above the crowds on the day Jesus came to Jericho. As soon as Jesus saw Zacchaeus, he called him to come down as he wanted to visit his house. The people disliked Zacchaeus because of his dishonest ways, they were totally shocked when Jesus wanted to visit Zacchaeus’ house, how could Jesus, mix with such a sinner. They were not able to understand that Jesus loves everyone and came to save us all from our sins. Jesus had a way of seeing what was in people’s hearts, Jesus could see that Zacchaeus wanted to change. Zacchaeus after meeting Jesus promises to give away half of his wealth and pay back four times as much to everyone he had cheated. He was truly sorry for his wrongdoing and wanted to change. He was trying to make things right and welcomed Jesus into his heart. Jesus is always ready to help us change our hearts whenever we meet him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we let Jesus into our lives our relationships with each other are much better, God is always ready to forgive us when we ask him. Jesus’ love and acceptance caused Zacchaeus to turn back to God. 

What change will you make in how you treat others this week? 

Print out the tree and leaves templates and colour them in. On the leaves write words which explain how Zacchaeus made his relationship with Jesus and with others right again. For example, mercy, love, forgiveness, peace, justice, blessed, happy, grace, kindness. Try to think of more words. Then stick the leaves on the tree, you can also draw the face of Zacchaeus on the tree among the leaves. 

Listen to the song; Change my heart oh God.

This week try to welcome God into your life, let us pray the Act of Contrition.

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do  good. I have sinned against You whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Amen

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How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.