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Zacchaeus: A Model Of Transformation And Hope

Zacchaeus: A Model Of Transformation And Hope

Last updated on: January 18, 2026 at 2:19 am by Henry Karlson

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Zacchaeus: A Model Of Transformation And Hope 2026-01-18T02:19:03-05:00 Henry Karlson

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Photo by ProtoplasmaKid: Icon of Zacchaeus From Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Prophet Elisha / Wikimedia Commons

With God, anything is possible, which is why we can hope for the salvation of all, even of those whose way of life we think would make it difficult, if not impossible, for them to be saved (cf. Matt. 19:26). God’s love is greater than our unlove. God’s grace is greater than our sin. Sin never has the last word. The first and last word, the Alpha and the Omega, is God’s Word made flesh, that is, Jesus. When we listen to that Word, we learn of God’s desire that all should be saved, and so we can and should hope that God’s will shall be done.

God’s grace is able to transform us. This is why, with grace, even terrible people can change and make restitution for all that they have done. They might not be able to do it before they die, but, with the belief that death is not the end, we can believe that their spiritual journey and transformation will continue in whatever state they find themselves in after death, allowing them to finish paying off their debts (to the “last penny”).

The process will usually not be easy; the more evil we have knowingly done, the more wicked we have been in our lives, the more difficult it will be. It is only thanks to grace that we can hope that any transformation will be possible. Nonetheless, because we know it is possible, we can and should keep the hope alive that in the end all will be well, that God will make all things well, so that those who are sick of mind and heart will be able to healed and made well. St. Jerome, for example, shows us this hopeful understanding with his discussion concerning Zacchaeus:

Much truth there is, indeed, in a certain saying of a philosopher: ‘Every rich man is either wicked or the heir of wickedness.’ That is why the Lord and Savior says that it is difficult for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Someone may raise the objection: ‘How, then, did the wealthy Zacchaeus enter the kingdom of heaven?’ He gave away his wealth and replaced it at one with the riches of the heavenly kingdom. The Lord and Savior did not say that the rich will not enter the kingdom of heaven, but that they will enter with difficulty. [1]

What is difficult, if not impossible for us, is possible with God. The rich find it extremely difficult to divest themselves of their attachments to wealth, and yet, those who encounter God, can find themselves encouraged to do so. Zacchaeus is the Gospel example of this. The story of Zacchaeus represents an important story for us to think about while preparing for the Great Fast. It is a hopeful story. However, it also reminds us of the cost of salvation because it tells us the kind of change we need to make in our lives, the kind of change which the Great Fast is meant to help us achieve. Salvation is possible, and it is possible because of what God has done for us, but the process of salvation requires us to do our part. We must cooperate with grace. We must do what we can to make restitution for what we have done wrong. We must have hope that not only is it possible for us, but for anyone, to be saved which is why we must not murmur when we see that hope applied to someone we do not like, for then we will be like those who criticized Jesus when they saw him visit Zacchaeus in his home:

And when they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:7-10 RSV).

We have truly been offered salvation; we have truly been offered the grace we need to achieve it. But we must do our part. God is not giving us “cheap grace” which expects nothing out of us. God can save anyone, but they must be willing not only to change, they must also do what they can to fix the harm they have caused with their sin. When they have done so, or done as much as they can and have had grace fulfill the rest, they will at last be their true self, the person God knows and knows throughout eternity, and not the person they let sin construct for them. When we see anyone who has been saved and made pure, someone who has changed and made restitution for their sins, we will see them for who they are in God, and not for the mask or false self the made which hindered them from revealing their true face.

We should, of course, first look to ourselves. We should seek to change, to allow grace come in and make us better; the better we become, the more we will be able to work with grace and truly make restitution, doing proper penance for our sins.

Therefore, hoping for the salvation of all, does not mean we hope God will save everyone in such a way that everyone will be saved as they are, unchanged, so that if they do evil, they will continue to do such evil for all eternity. Rather, it is the hope that God will, in the eschaton, have worked with everyone; it is the hope that with grace, everyone can be made right with everyone else and come together in a communion of love, united together and with God. It is the hope that all will be well. Those who have done greater evil will have to go through greater transformations than those who have not done so great an evil. Were God not just and merciful at once, or rather, were God’s justice not one with God’s mercy, if God were not loving, seeking to right all wrongs, this would never be possible, but since God is, we can and should have hope that God’s will shall be done, and truly, in the end, all will be made right.

[1] St. Jerome, The Homilies of Saint Jerome: Volume I (1-59 On the Psalms). Trans. Marie Liguori Ewald, IHM (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 1963), 116-7 [Homily 15].

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