History of the Zacchaeus. Biblical fig tree - zacchaeus tree in jericho

"Sunday Reading", 1824

Art. 1–2. Entered(Jesus) passing through Jericho. And this is the man condemned by Zacchaeus, and he was not an old publican, and he was rich.

Joshua once devastated Jericho with war and slaughter, and now the true Jesus (that is, the Savior) by His coming brings him healing. Here the blind was enlightened, the people believed, every tongue glorified Jesus, and every eye beheld the Teacher of truth and salvation. What is the job of a publican? This is a kind of theft, which is not subject to punishment; this is a shameless kind of covetousness, a trade for which there is no specific subject and name, this is extreme impiety. Therefore, Christ everywhere cites harlots and tax collectors as examples of the greatest sinners. Such is the disease that Zacchaeus suffered before he came to Jesus, a disease worse than the blindness of the Jericho blind man; for this one was sick in body, and that in soul (Asterius).

Art. 3. And seek to see Jesus, who is: and you are not able from the people, as if you were small in age.

Those who look at Jesus cannot become stagnant in sins. Zacchaeus longed to enjoy the sweet and saving sight of the Lord; but there were two obstacles to that; for the crowd and people slowed him down, but more than sins. He was small in age, not only bodily, but also spiritual (Titus).

Art. 4–6. And the forerunner is near to the buttock, but he sees, as if you wanted to look past her, And as if you had come to the place, having looked at Jesus, he saw him and said to him: Zacchaeus, tear yourself away: Today, in your house, it is fitting to beat Mi. And greeted with a tear, and rejoiced at him.

Christ looked at Zacchaeus with the eyes of the Divine, and as the Savior of all people shows him His favor and philanthropy, arouse him a trust to Himself and say: After tearing up(Cyril of Alexandria).

Zacchaeus wanted only to see Him, but Christ comes to him and, seeing his heart, hastens His coming. Like the best fisherman, the Lord with the reed of the word brings down the soul from the tree, draws Zacchaeus like a chick, taking him by the wings of his mind, and the head of the tax collectors cleaves to Christ.

This is how the famous David was caught, who says: Cling my soul to You(); The apostle writes about this: Cling to the Lord, one spirit is with the Lord(). Catching Zacchaeus in this way, the Lord, bringing him down from the tree, says: Today in your house befits Mi to be, that is, not so much in the external, but in his inner or spiritual dwelling (St. John Chrysostom).

Art. 7–8. And seeing all the murmuring, saying: as if I sinned my husband outside the vitati. Standing up, Zacchaeus, he said to the Lord: behold, the half of my possessions, O Lord, I will give to the poor: and if I offend anyone, I will return a quarter.

Look at the miracle. He has not yet studied - and obeys; he has not yet heard instruction - and fulfills; for the Savior has not yet commanded anything about almsgiving and love for the poor, but silently enlightened. Just as the sun, pouring its rays into a house, brings light, so the Savior drove away the darkness of wickedness with the rays of truth. The light in the darkness glows. Therefore, Zacchaeus, standing at the door, said: I give half of my estate to the poor. Wonderful words! They conquer nature, or better, skill, which is another nature.

Take here that the wealth of Zacchaeus was collected not from one lie, but also from hereditary estates. For if it were from one untruth, how could he return (the stolen) fourfold? (St. John Chrysostom).

This is how Zacchaeus decorated his house for the coming of Christ. He did not run to his neighbors to ask for tables and chairs made of ivory, he did not take out the Lacoon covers for tables from the innermost chambers, but decorated the house with what was most pleasing to Christ. What is this? I will give half of my estate to the poor, and if I offend anyone, I will return a quarter. Let us decorate our homes in this way, so that we may be worthy to accept Christ. For the virtue of the inhabitant, the Lord does not disdain to enter the worst huts. But he will never enter the houses of the wicked, even if they were covered with golden carpets (St. John Chrysostom).

Let us also put off our sins, like Zacchaeus. For just as in illnesses and wounds, if you do not stop the flow first, you will apply medical remedies in vain, so we, if we do not restrain ourselves from self-interest, even if we give alms, we will do nothing good. Greed spoils everything and turns everything to the worst. Let us stop kidnapping, and then we will distribute alms. For if one lifted up the fallen one, like charity, and the other pulled him to the ground, like greed, then such a battle of opposing forces would tear a person apart. So, so that this does not happen to us, may greed not attract us to the earth, and may almsgiving not leave us: so we will become light and fly away (St. John Chrysostom).

Art. 9–10. And Jesus said to him: for today there is salvation for this house, for this son Abraham is also. Come for the Son of Man to seek and save the lost.

Look: before Zacchaeus did the deeds of Abraham, he (Christ) called him not the son of Abraham, but Zacchaeus; when he had done the works of the patriarch, showing the apostasy of iniquity and love for the poor, then he said: Like this son Abraham is(St. John Chrysostom).

How is he from Abraham, when he came from Jericho, a Canaanite city? It is true that even if he had not been the son of Abraham according to the flesh, but now, when he turned to Christ, according to manners and deeds, he became and was known with greater right the son of Abraham than anyone else who came from the loins of Abraham (Asterius).

Yagodicina(fig tree) means repentance, a crowd of people - passions. So, the one who rises above the passions through repentance will see Jesus in himself and be known by Jesus, receive Him as a guest, receive salvation and become the son of Abraham (Anonymus).

And he (Zacchaeus) went out (like Abraham) from his own land, and from his kindred, and from his father's house. For the best exodus is to rise above all carnal pleasures that can be called earth, this is the removal from the pleasure of sensual objects, which are signified by the name affinities; this is a change of a corrupt, lawless life into a virtuous life, which is, as it were, departure from home paternal (Basil the Great).

Zacchaeus the publican

Holy M. Predtechensky. "Spiritual Conversation", 1871

The Lord wants salvation for everyone, but only those who themselves seek salvation and, like Zacchaeus, try to overcome all difficulties, no matter what they face on the way to it, are saved. Otherwise, why will the Lord save us? If even simple worldly blessings are not acquired without labor, is it fair to grant us eternal blessings without any effort on our part? Ask, and it will be given to you: for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it is opened ().

The Lord wants salvation for everyone, but only those who, believing in Him, humble themselves before Him, justify their faith from deeds that are themselves merciful to other people, themselves, like Zacchaeus, are ready to do good and do good to their neighbors. Otherwise, how will we testify our faith in the Lord and how will we thank Him for our salvation? God has never been seen. Therefore whoever says: I love God, but hates his brother, he is a liar: for he who does not love his brother, whom he sees, how can he love God, whom he does not see (). As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. And the demons believe and tremble ().

What moral lessons does the gospel story of Zacchaeus teach us? We must humble ourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt us in due time. We need to look for Him - and He Himself will call us, and He will come to us, and He will create an abode in ourselves (). Finally, we must try to save others with what and how anyone can - and the Lord will save us, no matter how close to death is for us, because He came to seek and save the lost.

Zacchaeus the publican

Prot. A. Lebedev. From an article about the gospel publicans. "Wanderer", 1865

Zacchaeus was an elder of the publicans and a rich man. And this is the husband called Zacchaeus: and this one was an old publican, and that one was rich(). As a publican, Zacchaeus, of course, did not differ from others either in softness of heart, or indulgence to needs and poverty, or justice and honesty in his demands. On the contrary, in his very seniority over the publicans, one can also see that, holding on to the place with a regular contribution of taxes collected, he surpassed others with a special art of extortion and indulgence, which is why he not only did not have any arrears behind him, but also acquired a fortune. And toy be rich. Wealth seduced him and threatened him with death. And it is not for nothing that the evangelist in this story about Zacchaeus recalls both his eldership and wealth!

The closest thing to man’s everyday consciousness is his material nature, with its demands and satisfactions, with its troubles and joys—closer than spiritual nature in terms of its sensibility and the very fact that, even before full consciousness is revealed, he gets used to feeling at first the legitimate demands of his bodily nature. nature and the pleasure of satisfying it, and then artificial and illegitimate needs, which, with their satisfaction, take on the force of habit. A person will feel the hunger of the body much sooner and more strongly than spiritual hunger; more disturbing for him is the disorder of some bodily organ, for example, the arm, leg or stomach, than the disorder of the spirit, for example, the predominance in the soul of some particular force, imagination, heart, reason; closer and more seductive is the pleasure of sin than the struggle and victory over oneself, which sometimes requires very long and tiring labor. Therefore, having all the means to satisfy the needs and to deliver the joys of the bodily nature, especially from an early age, most people can most likely stop and actually stop their attention on the material side of their life and forget or, at least, leave their spiritual inclinations undeveloped, the excitement of which requires work that promises a reward, perhaps even in the distant future. Naturally, wealth becomes necessary for such a person. He attaches himself to it with all his soul, either as a means of his calm and self-satisfied life, or as an object of his vanity and arrogance. In this sense, we accept the words of the Savior: It is more convenient to eat velbud through the needle through the ears, than I am rich in the Kingdom of God(). That is why the rich young man, who was already on the path to salvation and had come close to Christ, departed from Him, the source of joy, with sorrow: it was a pity for him to part with his wealth.

It could easily happen to the wealthy Zacchaeus that, having become attached with all his soul to wealth, if he had not yet put to sleep, then later he would have put to sleep all pure spiritual movements; especially since untruth was already akin to his soul; consequently, the fascination with the spontaneity, the sensuality of life had already begun - self-service and complacency took possession of him. Therefore, it is strange, incomprehensible, how could a saving desire to see Jesus be awakened in his soul? But you need to know its nature, its mental properties, in order to answer this question directly and satisfactorily. From the whole story about him, from his efforts to penetrate the crowd to Jesus, from his running and climbing a tree, it is clear that he had a childishly simple and lively nature. He could do evil by passion, by example, as usual, or, best of all, unconsciously. This is how such personalities act, because life put them on this path, and, having established themselves on it, without any thought, they began to act in the same way as their predecessors acted, as all those around them act: “We are not the first, we are not the last “It didn’t start with us, it won’t end with us,” such people usually say. In them there is never and never can be a stubborn justification based on false considerations of the mind, or a clear opposition to the truth. In them, on the contrary, there are even seeds of goodness, moral concepts of duty and duties, there are also pure movements towards goodness; only these seeds do not bear fruit, these concepts without salvific consequences, these movements without strength, like the movements of young, not yet fledged chicks, which, despite their efforts, cannot rise above the ground and make an easy and quick flight. Therefore, these simple, spontaneous natures are also carried away by untruth, until the light of understanding penetrated into them, illuminating the path of their life, until they received such excitement that would make them suddenly wake up and shake off this carelessness and inattention to themselves. This is exactly what Zacchaeus was. He had no attachment to wealth with a stubborn force that suppresses every living movement in his soul. In his heart there was a corner in which the spark of salvation was smoldering and ready to flare up, in which faith in the Messiah and hope for His speedy and saving coming was kept. True, this faith, due to its impotence, and partly due to its carnal nature, could not excite him to correct his life, and from the expectation of the Messiah he did not become more honest; however, this childishly simple soul, by its very nature, could not help but feel the awkwardness of its position and its inconsistency with the universal expectations of the Messiah. He could not, of course, by himself get out of his position, to make amends for his wrongs with deeds of love and mercy; but it was enough for him if he wanted to do this, enough if he waited for the Messiah with timid apprehension. It was in this readiness that the Lord found him.

Zacchaeus had already repeatedly heard about the appearance of the wondrous Prophet in Israel, but, not having the strength to renounce everyday life, he remained in his city and finally moved the most saving love of the Only Begotten to approach him. Having learned about the coming of Jesus to Jericho, Zacchaeus goes to meet Him, approaches the crowd surrounding Jesus, tries to penetrate through it, but, unable to see Him because of his short stature, runs ahead and, truly like a child, despite his eldership, climbs up on a tree. Such a simple and childish desire, obviously, was not a movement of curiosity, but precisely of faith, for it was directed towards getting to know Jesus, getting closer to Him. And that seek to see Jesus, who is?- he thought, that is, whether this prophet, whether this teacher is the Messiah. And with such an impatient desire to look at the great Wonderworker, he sat on buttocks and waited for him to pass by him. Looking for recover the deceased The Savior, knowing Zacchaeus' readiness to accept His grace and salvation, walks past the fig tree and, turning to him His life-giving gaze, shedding light into his soul, says - And when Jesus looked, saw him, and spoke to him, etc. What a meek Divine face! What loving eyes that speak directly to the soul! What a quiet, but penetrating speech! And what a supernatural sign! He already knows the name, and the house, and everything. Zacchae, tearing yourself away, For now, in your house, it is fitting for Mi to be.

It is impossible to fully comprehend everything that was to happen in the soul of Zacchaeus from the life-giving words of the Lord. Let us recall a similar circumstance much earlier. Faith of Nathanael in Jesus covered by prejudice: can anything good come from Nazareth?- was revealed in all its power from the words of the Lord, in which the same omniscience was expressed, namely, that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree and saw his readiness to enter the number of His disciples. And Jesus said to him, “Before Rechti, for under the fig tree I saw you, you believe, you will see more of these.”(). Here, too, there is no doubt the circumstance that Zacchaeus's desire to see the Lord and the Lord's merciful view of Zacchaeus, indulgence towards him and Divine omniscience justified the expectations and hopes with which the publican went to see Jesus - is it not this one, that is, the Prophet, and is Christ, and therefore he gladly accepts the recognized Messiah. And sweating a tear, and rejoicing at Him. Here is the first spiritual fruit of faith – joy! Thus faith was justified.

Then the rich publican had to resolve his inner dissatisfaction with himself. The Evangelist does not show what the Lord talked about and what he did in the publican's house, does not introduce us there by His description, but speaks, and of course, not without purpose, about the impression that was made on the people by the entry of Jesus under the roof of a sinful man, which they considered publican: and seeing all the grumbling on Jesus saying, as if I sinned my husband outside Vitati, - and after that it depicts the complete determination of Zacchaeus to correct himself and make amends for previous crimes. It must be admitted that this popular murmur and this determination were in a causal connection with each other. The voice of the sinner's conscience was awakened by a murmur. Feeling its justice, the publican could not help but accuse himself of insulting and merciless treatment of this very people and, thus, in a feeling of repentance, he was partly afraid, as it were, that the Lord would not heed this murmur and condemn him, and therefore hastened to offer a propitiatory sacrifice. for past iniquities. Standing up, Zacchaeus said to the Lord: behold, the half of my possessions, O Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I offend anyone, I will return a quarter. That is, as if Zacchaeus said this: “Behold, Lord, the people grumble against You, that You deigned to enter the house of a sinful man. True, I am a great sinner and worthy of universal disgust. But I see that You, merciful Heart Seeker, do not see on the face, but look into the hearts; so forgive me and make me worthy of Your indulgence, remove from me the burden of unrighteous acquisition and popular reproach and accept from me the sacrifice of love - bless me to give half of the property to the poor and reward the offended fourfold. Wonderful here is the expression of the evangelist having become a speech. This is, as it were, an allusion to some kind of restraint; that is, Zacchaeus, as if for a long time already wanted to tell the Lord about this determination of his - repentance, as it were, from the very moment the Lord entered the house, was ready to come out of his mouth; the resolution of correction from the joy of such a visit and from the living word of God, pouring out in conversation from the lips of the Savior, as if little by little increased, strengthened and, finally, embraced his whole being, so that he could no longer restrain them, stood before the Lord and began talk: This is half my estate. Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I offend anyone, I will return a quarter. It is also remarkable here that Zacchaeus, who was honored with the merciful contempt and indulgence of the Lord, does not refuse the title he is passing through, perhaps also because it attracted the Lord to him. Further, he promises to give to the poor only half of his estate, and not all. By this, of course, he showed not attachment to wealth, but, on the contrary, his free attitude towards it. Wealth did not and does not hinder him in the matter of salvation; whether half of the estate he kept or all, it was indifferent to him, as long as his iniquities were atoned for. And the Lord approves this sacrifice of the rich publican. Today is the salvation of this house, says the Lord, Zane and this son Abrahaml is. For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. Thus the perishing son of Abraham was exacted and saved!

The parable of the master who set off on a journey to receive the kingdom, and of the mines distributed by him

Interpretation of St. Basil the Great on verse 23, ch. 19 Gospel of Luke

What does this market table mean, on which, as the Lord says, it was necessary for you to give silver ()?

Parables do not stop their reasoning on one image taken in them, but pave the way for the mind to the subject of reasoning. Therefore, just as it is customary to give silver to marketers to increase it (for, as I learned in Alexandria, there are people who take silver and do this with it), so the one who has received any kind of grace must necessarily transfer it to the one who needs it, or do with it the same thing that the apostle says about teaching: This betray a faithful person, who will be content and teach others(). For this can happen not only with one doctrine, but with every deed; because some have only the capacity for it, while others have already acquired experience in managing this matter.

Thoughts of St. Feofan

"Thoughts for every day of the year according to church readings"

The parable of the ten men depicts the entire history of mankind until the second coming of Christ. The Lord says in it about Himself that He goes through suffering, and resurrection, to the Heavenly Father to accept the kingdom over humanity, which is all His ancestral heritage. Those who remain on earth are divided into two halves: into slaves who have enslaved themselves to the Lord through obedience to faith, and into those who do not want to have Him as King and work for Him, for the sake of their unbelief. Those who come to the Lord by faith, willingly to work for Him, are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the holy sacraments: these are us, - and every believer receives it for service in the circle of believers. When all of the human race, capable of submitting to God, will submit to Him, then He will come again as having received the kingdom. His first act will be to judge the servants who acquired what by this grace, and then judgment will follow on those who did not want to have Him as King, that is, either did not believe, or fell away from the faith. Imprint these truths in your mind and do not divert attention from them; for then there will be a decision for which you can no longer expect a change. Flee unbelief, but do not believe idly, but bear the fruits of faith. Having found you faithful in small, the Lord will set you over many.

“Why did the Lord accept money from Zacchaeus the publican and bless him?.. By worldly standards, he acted like a loser. He squandered good and ruined the inheritance of children. I lost everything,” a sermon by Priest Konstantin Kamyshanov on the Gospel of Zacchaeus.

Here Jesus is walking through Jericho and sees how the local head of the tax police is sitting on a fig and looking at Him. Christ calls him, and together they go to the official for dinner. At dinner, the taxman suddenly decides to give fourfold to those whom he offended, and distribute half of the estate to the poor
This is what happens: paid and free? Did you give money and pay off? Did you buy the Kingdom of Heaven with money?
This story is familiar to us. We all know how in the dashing bandit times, robbers and murderers wore crosses and gave money for the temple. And 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."

Zacchaeus didn't ask for anything

Christ or money?

Zacchaeus the Publican donated money to Christ. The Lord offered fish to the apostles. We are God. And God is for us. And God does not tolerate being in debt. The apostles got twelve fish per soul. But what is she to them? Peter, throwing the fish, swam to Christ. On the shore, the Lord was waiting for him, a fire, bread and baked fish. Christ was waiting for them and baked fish for them. And they sat and ate, and saw how He breaks bread with the familiar movement of His hands, and did not dare to ask the risen God about anything. They were all clear
Let us also pray to God to grant us this clarity. Let us not be so strong in spirit. May God often reveal himself to us not in mental prayer, but through earthly miracles, even through such simple ones as twelve fish in our hands. But we are who we are: we love God and ask for fish, and a miracle, and the breaking of bread at the Liturgy, and, most importantly, love, for the sake of which all this is done, and in which alone is the meaning of our life. And each of us wants to hear the words of Christ addressed to us:
“Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is the son of Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.”
And if you want it, then so be it. That is why the Gospel was written, so that we could watch how God's people acted and learn from them to live and die in God.

1–10. Publican Zacchaeus. – 11–27. Parable about mines. - 28–48. Entrance to Jerusalem and cleansing of the temple.

. Then Jesus entered Jericho and passed through it.

. And behold, one named Zacchaeus, chief of publicans and a rich man,

. sought to see Jesus, who He was, but could not follow the people, because he was small in stature,

. and running ahead, he climbed a fig tree to see him, because he had to pass by it.

The story of the publican Zacchaeus is a feature of the Gospel of Luke; it is not reported by other evangelists. When the Lord, on his way to Jerusalem, passed through Jericho (on Jericho, see comments on), then the head of the local publicans (in Jericho received a lot of duties from the production and export of balm and therefore there were several publicans), a rich man named Zacchaeus (from the Hebrew - pure), obviously a Jew, tried to see Jesus among those passing by. "Who is He", i.e. which of those passing by is Jesus. But he did not succeed, because he was small in stature.

"Running ahead", i.e. to that street that Christ has not yet passed, but had to pass (according to the best reading - εἰς ἔμπροσθεν, and according to Textus receptus - simply ἔμπροσθεν).

"Climb the fig tree" This tree was obviously quite tall.

"Past her". The Greek text contains the word δί ἐκείνης, but the preposition διά is superfluous here, it is not in the best codices.

. Jesus, when he came to this place, looked, saw him and said to him: Zacchaeus! come down quickly, for today I need to be in your house.

. And he hastened down and received Him with joy.

Whether the Lord knew Zacchaeus before is unknown. He could hear the name of the publican from those around him, who knew Zacchaeus and called him by name, seeing him in a strange position on a tree.

"Today I need to be..." The Lord points Zacchaeus to the special importance of this day for him: Christ, according to the highest definition (cf. verse 10), should stay with Zacchaeus for the night (cf. the expression μεῖναι - “to be” with).

. And everyone, seeing that, began to murmur, and said that He went to a sinful man;

"All" is a hyperbolic expression. We are talking about the Jews who accompanied Christ to the house of Zacchaeus and saw how Zacchaeus met the Lord at the entrance.

"Went in" - more precisely: entered in order to stop here ( εἰσῆλθε καταλῦσαι ).

. Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord: Lord! I will give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have offended anyone, I will repay fourfold.

Probably, the conversation that Christ had with Zacchaeus, having come to him, made a huge impression on the soul of the publican. Giving a vow to pay off the poor and those offended by him, he thereby expresses the consciousness of his unworthiness before such a great happiness, which he has now received - the Messiah Himself has come to him.

"Offended" (ἐσυκοφάντησα ), i.e. if I have harmed anyone financially with my denunciations. Zacchaeus could, indeed, as the head of the publicans, play a large role in the fine of merchants who did not pay the legal duty on the goods.

"Four" . He considers his act as theft, and for theft, according to the law of Moses, it was necessary to pay four or even five times the cost of the stolen ().

. Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is the son of Abraham,

“He said to him” is more correct: in relation to him, Zacchaeus (πρός αὐτόν), while addressing His disciples and guests who were in the house.

"To this house", i.e. to the entire family of Zacchaeus.

"And he is the son of Abraham", i.e., despite his occupation, despised by all the Jews, and Zacchaeus has certain theocratic rights to salvation through the Messiah. There is no mention of his moral worth here, and the next verse confirms the idea that Zacchaeus really belonged to people who were not called "lost" for nothing.

. for the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost.

Here the Lord confirms the truth of what He said in verse 9. Indeed, salvation came to the family of Zacchaeus, because the Messiah came to seek out and save those who had fallen into eternal perdition (cf.).

. When they heard this, he added a parable: for He was near Jerusalem, and they thought that the Kingdom of God was about to open.

The parable of the mines is similar to the parable of the talents given by the Evangelist Matthew (). The Evangelist Luke gives the reason for uttering this parable by the fact that the Lord's proclamation of the salvation of the house of Zacchaeus (verse 9) was heard by the disciples of Christ and, probably, by the guests who were with Zacchaeus, who understood this proclamation in the sense that Christ would soon open the Kingdom of God for all (The Lord was only 150 stadia from Jerusalem.) It is clear that the kingdom they all expected was external, political. To dispel such an expectation, the Lord spoke the following parable.

. So he said: A certain man of high rank went to a far country to obtain a kingdom for himself and to return;

It may very well be that when the Lord spoke of a man who was fussing about obtaining royal power for himself, he meant the Jewish king Archelaus, who, through a trip to Rome, achieved his approval in royal dignity, despite the protests of his subjects (Josephus Flavius, “Jewish Antiquities ”, XVII, 11, 1). So Christ, before receiving a glorious kingdom, will have to go to "far country"- to heaven, to His Father, and then to appear on earth in His glory. However, there is no need to make such a comparison, since the main idea in the parable is not this, but the idea of ​​condemning the crafty servants (verses 26-27).

. and having summoned ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, Use them in circulation until I return.

Man called ten of his own (ἑαυτοῦ ) slaves, whom he could expect to serve his interests (cf. ).

"Min" . A Jewish mina was equal to one hundred shekels, i.e. 80 rubles. Attic mine was equal to one hundred drachmas - if it was a silver mine, i.e. 20 rubles. But a gold mine was equal to 1,250 rubles. In the Gospel of Matthew, a larger account is kept - for talents, but there a person distributes all his possessions, which is not said here about a person who went to seek his kingdom.

"Use them in circulation", i.e. start trading on them.

By "slaves", of course, one must understand the disciples of Christ, and by "mines" - various gifts they received from God.

. But the citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying: we do not want him to reign over us.

Under the "citizens" who did not want the person mentioned above to have their king, one must understand fellow tribesmen of Christ, unbelieving Jews.

. And when he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered to call to himself the servants of those to whom he had given silver, in order to find out who had acquired what.

"Who bought what"- more correctly: "who did what."

. The first one came and said: sir! your mine brought ten mines.

. And he said to him: well, good slave! because you have been faithful in small things, take ten cities under your control.

. The second one came and said: sir! your mina brought five min.

. He also said to this one: and you be over five cities.

. A third came and said: sir! here is your mine, which I kept wrapped in a scarf,

. for I was afraid of you, because you are a cruel man: you take what you did not put in, and you reap what you did not sow.

. The master said to him: I will judge you with your mouth, crafty servant! you knew that I am a cruel man, I take what I did not put in, and I reap what I did not sow;

. why did you not put my silver into circulation, so that when I came, I would receive it with a profit?

. And he said to those who were present, Take a mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.

. And they said to him: Sir! he has ten minutes.

. I tell you that to everyone who has it will be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

. but those of my enemies who did not want me to reign over them, bring hither and slay before me.

Here the king turns his eyes away from the evil servant and remembers his enemies, which were discussed in verse 14.

"Beat me before me"- an image denoting the condemnation of the enemies of Christ to eternal death.

The parable thus concerns both the fate of the Jews who do not believe in Christ, and—and this is its main subject—the future fate of the disciples of Christ. Each disciple is given a certain gift by which he should serve the Church, and if he does not use this gift properly, he will be punished by exclusion from the Kingdom of the Messiah, while diligent doers of the will of Christ will receive the highest rewards in this Kingdom.

. Having said this, He went on, going up to Jerusalem.

. And when he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, to the mountain called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples,

. saying: go to the opposite village; entering it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no man has ever sat; untie him, bring him;

. and if someone asks you: why are you untying? tell him this: the Lord needs him.

. The messengers went and found as He told them.

. When they were untying the young donkey, its owners said to them, Why are you untying the colt?

. They answered: the Lord needs him.

. And they brought him to Jesus, and throwing their clothes over the colt, they put Jesus on it.

. And as He rode, they spread their clothes along the road.

. And when He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, all the multitude of the disciples began to joyfully praise God for all the miracles that they saw,

. saying: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! peace in heaven and glory in the highest!

Here the Evangelist Luke speaks of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem in accordance with the Evangelist Mark (cf.). But at the same time he makes some additions, and in some places - and reductions.

"To the mountain called the Olivet"(verse 29) - more correctly: "to the Mount of Olives" (ἐλαιῶν - olive grove; Josephus also uses the name "Mount of Olives" ("Josephus Flavius." Antiquities of the Jews, VII, 9, 2).

"As He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives"(verse 37). Where there was a descent from the mountain, one could see Jerusalem in all its splendor. Therefore, the sudden outburst of enthusiastic cries of the people, accompanying Christ as their king, entering into His capital, is understandable.

"Pupils". They are students in the broadest sense of the word.

"What did they see"- of course, before, when they followed Christ.

"Blessed is the King"(verse 38). The disciples designate the Lord as king only among the evangelists Luke and John ().

"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" With these words, the evangelist Luke replaced the exclamation "hosanna in the highest"(Matthew and Mark). He, so to speak, divides "hosanna" into two exclamations: "peace in heaven", i.e. salvation is in heaven, with God, who will now distribute this salvation through the Messiah, and then "glory in the highest", i.e. will be glorified for this by the angels in the highest, on high.

. And some Pharisees from among the people said to Him: Master! rebuke your disciples.

. But He answered and said to them, I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. . and they will destroy you, and beat your children within you, and leave no stone upon stone in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.

This section is found only in the Evangelist Luke. Some Pharisees, leaving the crowd of people in which they were, turned to Christ with a proposal to forbid His disciples to shout like that. The Lord replied that such an explosion of praise to God could not be stopped. In doing so, He used the proverb about stones, which is also found in the Talmud. Then, when He drew near to the city, he looked at it and wept—wept aloud for it. ἔκλαυσεν ἐπ´ αὐτήν , and not ἐδάκρυσεν, as at the tomb of Lazarus, ).

“If only you…” (verse 42). The speech breaks off, as “it happens with those who cry” (Evfimy Zigavin). Faith in Christ as the promised Messiah was, of course, to serve "to the world" or to the salvation of Jerusalem (cf.).

"And you" - like My disciples.

"On this day of yours", i.e. on this day, which could be the day of salvation for you.

"Now ..." I.e. but with real relationships this is impossible, God has left this salvation hidden from you (ἐκρύβη points to God's determination, cf. John 12ff.; Rom. 11ff.).

"For the days will come upon you..."(verse 43). The Lord has just said that what is hidden from the Jewish people is that which leads to their salvation. Now He proves this point by referring to the judgment that undoubtedly awaits this people.

"They will surround you with trenches". This was fulfilled during the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, when Titus, in order to prevent the delivery of food supplies to Jerusalem, surrounded it with a rampart or palisade, which was burned by the besieged and then replaced by a wall.

“They will ruin you” (verse 44) - more precisely: “they will raze you to the ground” (ἐδαφιοῦσι).

"They will beat your children in you". The city in the Holy Scriptures is often presented under the image of the mother (see;), and therefore the inhabitants of the city must be understood as children.

“And taught every day in the temple”. Evangelist Luke notes the fact of the daily appearance of Christ in the temple as a teacher in order to make a transition to the subject of the next chapter. Evangelist Mark () hints at this "teaching".

"Listened incessantly". The attention with which the people listened to Christ was an obstacle to the enemies of the Savior in their designs against Him.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector. He was rich, sinful and unloved by many. However, when he learned that Jesus was coming to the place where he lived, he wanted to see the man he had heard so much about. There were many others who also wanted to see Him, and the streets were packed. Zacchaeus, who was short, could not see over the crowd. In desperation, he climbed a tree to get a better view over the heads of the crowd.

Finally, Jesus came. As he looked at the man whom some recognized as the Savior, he was amazed that Jesus called him by name. Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down from the tree because He, Jesus Christ Himself, was going to stay overnight at his house.

Those in the crowd who heard their conversation were at a loss. From all the spiritual and moral people in the crowd, Jesus chose a famous sinner with whom He wanted to share a meal and lodging. Many probably did not understand the reason for this. It may even have influenced the faith of some of them.

However, for those who truly understood God's plan, Jesus' choice came as no surprise. The gospel is not just for the perfect or the converted. It is God's intention that the gospel be spread to all people. If Jesus had taught only those who were already converted and perfect, He would not have converted a single person. It is the sinner who most needs what Jesus Christ offers.

Christ's choice for the sinner was very inspired. Zacchaeus was so moved by Jesus' unexpected kindness, by his choice of him, and by everything Jesus taught during his visit, that he decided to repent and make up for the loss of all those he had deceived in his career. He also decided to give half of his fortune to the poor.

If Jesus had chosen a member of the Church to share a meal with, He might have strengthened the testimony, but the result of His choosing a sinner was far greater. He was able to completely transform a life by being kind to someone who no one respected and no one else cared about.

As with most events in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, there are several lessons to be learned from this little story.

David A. Baxter, a senior official in the Mormon Church, recounted hearing this story as a boy, when he was not yet a member of the Mormon Church (“Mormon Church” is sometimes mistakenly referred to as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). He had a difficult childhood. His mother was divorced several times, and he and his siblings lived in dire poverty in Scotland. As the boy listened to this story in a nearby church, he thought about how amazing it was that Jesus knew the name Zacchaeus, even though they had never met before. He wondered if Jesus knew his name. He thought that if a bad man like Zacchaeus could be saved, then perhaps a poor boy and his family in distant Scotland could be saved.

When David was older, he realized that the gospel is for everyone, even poor children living in difficult circumstances. Jesus actually knew his name and loved him, just as the Savior loved Zacchaeus.

It is important for us to understand that Jesus knows each of us by name and loves us. He wants everyone to accept His gospel, regardless of our past mistakes, our social status, or our popularity in the world. When we look at how Jesus conducted His ministry, we notice that He spent a lot of time among the poor, the weak, the unpopular, and the sinful. Many of these people were touched by the kindness Jesus showed them, because they were not used to it.

The story of Zacchaeus' conversion also teaches us the importance of repentance. None of us are sinners to such an extent that they cannot repent and start again. The gospel of Jesus Christ has a powerful transformative effect on those who receive it, but sometimes the transformation is especially striking when it occurs in the lives of those who have fallen short of Christian standards. The story of Zacchaeus teaches those who lead sinful lives that they can repent and join the community of believers, be forgiven and start over. It's not always easy to start life over, but it's definitely worth it.

The story of Zacchaeus also contains a message for believers. We have no right to decide who should and who should not receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostles sent it to the whole world, not just to the righteous and believers. If we associate only with members of our own faith, we will never experience the joy of helping the Holy Spirit bear witness to the truth to those who do not know it. Only God, not us, can decide who has the right to hear the gospel. We should offer it to everyone we know. It is this knowledge that leads Mormons to share their faith as full-time missionaries and share it with all who are willing to listen. We cannot know who is hungry for the transforming grace of the gospel.

Reference in the Bible

The story associated with Zacchaeus is only mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. According to the Bible, Zacchaeus is a rich man, the head of the publicans, he was small in stature, lived in Jericho. When Jesus Christ passed through the city where Zacchaeus lived, the latter, wanting to see the Messiah at least from a distance, climbed onto a fig tree. Christ noticed him there and said:

Zacchaeus hurried down and received Jesus with joy. Deeply moved, Zacchaeus made a promise to pay fourfold to everyone whom he had ever offended while collecting duties and taxes. In the house of Zacchaeus, Christ, in view of the murmuring of the people, said significant words:

According to church tradition, Zacchaeus subsequently became the first bishop of the Christian church in Caesarea Palestine.

At the place where, according to legend, the house of Zacchaeus was located, the Metochion of John the Baptist in Jericho of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the Russian Orthodox Church is currently located.

Christian interpretation

In patristic literature, the story of Zacchaeus is interpreted in two main ways. The first is a literal interpretation, the second is an allegorical one, Theophylact of Bulgaria calls it a moral interpretation. With a literal interpretation, the life of Zacchaeus is analyzed in more detail, his actions, for example, the question is analyzed - Why did Zacchaeus promise to repay those whom he offended exactly four times? According to the law of Moses, a person who commits a theft should do this (Ex. 22: 1), and Zacchaeus, probably, when collecting taxes, took more from people than he should have. The allegorical interpretation of the story of Zacchaeus is a kind of attempt to bring the story of Zacchaeus closer to the life of a modern Christian. For example:

In the Explanatory Bible edited by Lopukhin, the emphasis made by the author on the episode where Jesus Christ addresses the seemingly unfamiliar Zacchaeus by name is noteworthy. Alexander Lopukhin suggests that Jesus Christ and Zacchaeus either met before, or Christ heard the name of the publican from the crowd, who was surprised by the unusual position of Zacchaeus on the tree.

Fig Tree Zacchaeus

It is believed that the same fig tree that Zacchaeus climbed has survived to this day. The famous tree is located in the central part of Jericho. "Zacchaeus fig tree" is a sycamore tree (Ficus sycamore - (Ficus sycomorus L.) Mulberry family (Moraceae)), has a height of 15 meters with a crown diameter of 25 meters and a trunk circumference (at a height of 130 cm) of 5.5 meters. At a height of 4 meters, a single shaft with four buttresses is divided into several shafts. The only trunk has an open cone-shaped hollow of natural origin inside, indicating the beginning of the division of a single trunk into several independent trunks, which is typical of representatives of the ficus genus. There is a mass death of skeletal and overgrowing branches. The presence of a hollow and the characteristic sagging of the outer layers of the wood of the trunk in its lower part testifies to the antiquity of this tree.

A plot of land with a "Zacchaeus tree" with an area of ​​1.1 hectares was purchased in 1886 by Hieromonk Joasaph (Plekhanov) with the money of the Russian philanthropist Elena Reznichenko. Later, however, Father Joasaph's relations with the Patriarch of Jerusalem deteriorated, and he was forced to urgently leave Palestine. Before leaving, he donated the site to the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society. The site was issued to the chairman of the IOPS, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. An orange garden, diluted by Father Joasaph, and several adobe buildings built by him remained on the site. However, this site was not fully developed and gradually fell into disrepair. After 1917, there was practically no attention to this, as well as to other objects of Russian real estate in Palestine. In 1995, the head of the PNA, Yasser Arafat, by his decree transferred the site to the ownership of the Russian government. On January 18, 2011, a new museum and park complex was opened in Jericho on a site owned by the Russian Federation.

The mention of the story of Zacchaeus in modern times

The story of Zacchaeus figured in an unpleasant episode with the fresco "Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem" in the St. John the Theologian Cathedral in the city of Rudny. On the fresco, among the people meeting Jesus, one could find a person similar to Sergei Kulagin. Father John, archpriest of the Rudny Cathedral, explained that Kulagin on the fresco can be compared with Zacchaeus, apparently referring to the deepest humility of Zacchaeus.

Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev noted that the parallel between Zacchaeus and Sergei Kulagin is very bold, since if you compare Zacchaeus with Kulagin, you will have to accuse the latter of theft (Zacchaeus promised to reward those whom he offended four times, and four times, according to the law of Moses (Ex. 22: 1 ), it is those who committed the theft that pay).

Notes

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

See what "Zacchaeus" is in other dictionaries:

Me, husband. Star. editorial note: Zakheevich, Zakheevna. Name days: January 15, May 3, December 1. Dictionary of personal names. Zacchaeus the Righteous (Heb.). January 15 (2) - Martyr Zakhey. May 3 (April 20) - Apostle Zakhey. December 1 (November 18) - Martyr Zakhey, deacon ... ... Dictionary of personal names

- (1st century) apostle from the 70th, the first bishop of Caesarea of ​​Palestine, a former publican (Gospel of Luke 19:2 9). Memory in the Orthodox Church on January 4 (17) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Greek Zakhaios, f ma Heb. named after Zakkai, in turn, apparently, representing the kr. f mu from Zechariah), the head of the publicans in Jericho. He wanted to see Jesus passing through the city, but he could not because of his small stature, and for this he climbed onto ... ... Brockhaus Bible Encyclopedia

- (the same as pure Zacchai) the name of two persons: a) (2 Mac. 10:19) one of the commanders of Judas Maccabee, who is mentioned only in the aforementioned quotation. b) (Luke 19:5, 8, 11) a wealthy Jew who lived in Jericho and was the head of publicans, i.e. assemblers... ... Bible. Old and New Testaments. Synodal translation. Bible encyclopedia arch. Nicephorus.

Zacchaeus- Zakay, Heb. worthy. Zacchaeus, the wealthy chief of the publicans in Jericho, who during the last journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, being small in stature, climbed a fig tree to see Jesus. Christ, passing by, told him to get down from ... ... Dictionary of Biblical Names

Zacchaeus- a rich Jew from Jericho, the head of publicans and a great sinner. His desire to see the Savior was so great that, despite his social position, he climbed a fig tree, since he was small in stature. Jesus Christ, seeing the movements ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

Zacchaeus- A tax collector who lived in Jericho. Zacchaeus was short. To see Jesus Christ surrounded by a crowd, he climbed a tree. Jesus noticed Zacchaeus and asked permission to come to his house. Meeting Jesus changed Zacchaeus's life. Detailed Dictionary of Biblical Names

ZACCHEUS- [Greek. Ζακχαῖος from Heb. , lat. Zacchaeus], ​​the head of the publicans in Jericho, his meeting with Jesus Christ led to repentance and a change in life (Lk 19.1 10) (commemorated in Greek on April 20). The word "publican" (τελώνης) in Rom. the period was called toll collectors, ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia