Zacchaeus climbs the sycamore to test whether Jesus knows hearts
Amphilochius is imagining Zacchaeus's interior reasoning as he climbs the sycamore to see Jesus, after describing how Zacchaeus exploited shepherds and travelers.
A shepherd lived with drought and burning heat, with rain and snow and frost. His shelter was the ledges of the rocks, his food cheese and milk, his clothing the unworked skins of his sheep. Yet this rustic, this poor man, this companion of the mountains, fell into Zacchaeus's hands, being tithed of his flocks, being robbed lawfully, being destroyed without a sword. For a man struck by iron receives a wound that flows easily and departs, escaping the harshness of his suffering through numbness. But a man unwillingly shot by poverty's arrow has pain as his death, and he has died, not consumed all at once, but dying always, little by little. And to put it briefly: as fortresses hard to capture are dreaded by soldiers, and underwater rocks by pilots, and hidden ambushes by those at war, so Zacchaeus was to be fled by merchants and travelers, by cowherds and shepherds.
But this man, so maddened over the irrational collection of money, was seeking to see Jesus and could not. For both the smallness of his stature and the heaviness of his injustice held him back. So now, healing the lowliness of his stature by the device of his understanding, he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore, and he hides himself under the dense cover of the leaves, thinking he sees and is not seen, supposing he can escape the notice of the one who knows all things. This is exactly what the woman with the flow of blood also ventured, thinking she could steal from Jesus, the one who gladly lets such things be stolen from him. But she at least came near and touched the hem of his garment; this man, being far off, took hold of Christ by faith. So he goes up onto the tree, healing the evils of Adam. For Adam was led astray by the tree while fleeing God, but this man is saved from the tree while longing to see God.
For hearing that Jesus works many astonishing wonders, that he heals souls as well as bodies, taking away the sins of souls and granting freedom from suffering to bodies, Zacchaeus longed to see the one who pardons all things to all people. He reasoned within himself:
"Who then is this Jesus, who cleanses lepers, who heals the blind, who forgives sins to those who ask? What is his appearance, what is his form? Does he know all things? Does he test the minds even of those who are absent? Or does he examine only the thoughts of those who are present? Does he, as God, trace out the thoughts of each person's heart? How then can I learn these things? What teacher shall I take for them? What teacher? Experience, the teacher of all things. I have climbed the tree and hide myself under the dense cover of the leaves. I escape notice and I learn whether I can be saved. If he knows the movement of my soul, I know that he wipes away the sin of my soul. This one thing then I will learn: that he knows the hidden things of my thoughts. If, pressed by the crowd, he sees me hiding, and not only sees me but also uncovers the longing of my soul, I choose to throw away everything and find the one. I want to imitate Matthew. For he too was a tax collector, as I am. But Matthew did not run to him of his own accord; rather, he was called and obeyed. Perhaps, seeing him and thinking him one of the travelers, he hollowed his hands and spread wide his deep pocket, carried along by habit toward the taking, and wanting to collect taxes from Christ, he was collected from in return by him, not in appearance only, but giving his whole self over. For as soon as he heard, 'Come, follow me,' he outran the call with his eagerness, outrunning with swifter speed the one who drew him. If then he calls tax collectors, and not only calls them but also makes them righteous, the swarm of my previous evils does not harm me. For if Elisha threw salt into the nourishing spring and made its barrenness fruitful, surely this man also, seasoning my soul with grace as with salt, stirs up in me the fruit-bearing of virtue."
While he was pondering these things, Jesus came to the place. Looking up, he says to him: "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down. You climbed the tree as a tax collector; come down from the tree as a lover of God. Come down from the tree to the earth, so that through the cross you may go up to heaven. You went up a tree hiding from human beings; you are going up through the cross, granting a gift to angels."
Greek
Ποιμὴν ἀν αὐχμῷ καὶ καύσωνι, ὄμβρῳ καὶ χιόνι καὶ πάχνῃ συζῶν, καλύβην ἔχων τὰς ἐξοχὰς τῶν πετρῶν, τροφὴν τυρὸν καὶ γάλα, ἱμάτιον ἀνέργαστον τῶν προβάτων τὴν δοράν, ἀλλ' οὗτος ὁ
ἄγροικος, ὁ πένης, ὁ ὄρεσιν προσομιλῶν Ζακχαίῳ περιέπιπτεν δεκατευόμε νος τὰ θρέμματα, ἐννόμως λῃστευόμενος, ἄνευ ξίφους ἀναιρού μενος. Σιδήρῳ γὰρ ὁ πληγεὶς καὶ ῥεῖον τὸ τραῦμα λαβὼν οἴχεται ἀναισθησίᾳ φυγὼν τοῦ πάθους τὴν χαλεπότητα, ὁ δὲ ἀκουσίῳ πενίᾳ τετοξευμένος θάνατον ἔχει τὸν πόνον καὶ τέθνηκεν· οὐχ ἅπαξ δαπανούμενος, θνῄσκει δὲ ἀεὶ κατὰ μικρόν. Καὶ ἵνα συντόμως εἴπω, ὥσπερ στρατιώταις τὰ δυσάλωτα φρούρια καὶ τοῖς κυβερνήταις αἱ ὕφαλοι πέτραι καὶ τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν οἱ ὕποπτοι λόχοι, οὕτως ἐμπόροις καὶ ὁδοιπόροις, βουκόλοις καὶ ποιμέσιν Ζακχαῖος φευκτὸς ἦν.Ἀλλ' οὗτος οὕτω περὶ τὴν ἄλογον τῶν χρημάτων συλλογὴν μεμηνὼς ζητῶν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἠδύνατο· κατεῖχεν γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ ἡλικίας σμικρότης καὶ ἀδικίας βαρύτης. Ὅθεν νῦν ἰώμενος τῆς ἡλικίας τὴν εὐτέλειαν τῇ τῆς συνέσεως ἐπινοίᾳ προδραμὼν ἔμπροσθεν ἀνέβη ἐπὶ συκομοραίαν καὶ κρύπτεται ὑπὸ τὸ ἀμφιλαφὲς τῶν φύλλων οἰόμενος ὁρᾶν καὶ μὴ ὁρᾶσθαι, νομίζων λανθάνειν τὸν πάντα εἰδότα· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἡ αἱμορροοῦσα ὑπέστη οἰομένη κλέπτειν τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἡδέως τὰ τοιαῦτα κλεπτόμενον. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνη κἂν ἐγγὺς γενομένη τοῦ κρασπέδου ἐφήψατο, οὗτος δὲ πόρρωθεν ὢν πίστει τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπελάβετο. Ὅθεν ἄνεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον τὰ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ θεραπεύων κακά· ὁ μὲνγὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ ξύλου πλανᾶται τὸν θεὸν φεύγων, ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ ξύλου σῴζεται τὸν θεὸν ἰδεῖν ἐπιθυμῶν. Ἀκούων γὰρ ὡς πολλὰ καὶ παράδοξα ἐργάζεται θαύματα, ὡς πρὸς τοῖς σώμασιν καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἰατρεύει, τῶν μὲν ψυχῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀφαιρούμενος, τοῖς δὲ σώμασιν ἀπάθειαν χαριζόμενος, ἐπεθύμησεν ἰδεῖν τὸν πάντα πᾶσι συγχωροῦντα λογισάμενος παρ' ἑαυτῷ·«Τίς ποτε ἆρά ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ λεπροὺς καθαίρων, ὁ τυφλοὺς ἰώμενος, ὁ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τοῖς αἰτοῦσι συγχωρῶν; Ποταπὸς τὸ εἶδος, ὁποῖος τὴν μορφήν; Ἆρα πάντα οἶδεν; ἆρα καὶ τῶν ἀπόντων τὰς γνώμας δοκιμάζει; ἢ τῶν συνόντων μόνον τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἐξετάζει; ἆρα ὡς θεὸς τῆς ἑκάστου καρδίας ἀνιχνεύει τὰ νοήματα; Πόθεν οὖν ταῦτα γνῶ; τίνα τούτων διδάσκαλον λάβω; τίνα; Τὴν πεῖραν, τὴν πάντων διδάσκαλον. Ἀνελθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ δένδρον κρύπτομαι ὑπὸ τὸ ἀμφιλαφὲς τῶν φύλλων. Λανθάνω καὶ μανθάνω εἰ δύναμαι σωθῆναι. Ἐὰν γνῷ μου τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ κίνημα, οἶδα ὅτι ἐξαλείφει μου τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἁμάρτημα· ἓν τοῦτο οὖν γνώσομαι ὅτι οἶδεν τῶν λογισμῶν τὰ κρυπτά. Ἐὰν ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους συνεχόμενος ἴδῃ με τὸν λανθάνοντα καὶ μὴ μόνον ἴδῃ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς μου ἐκκαλύψῃ τὸν ἔρωτα, αἱροῦμαι πάντα ῥῖψαι καὶ ἕνα εὑρεῖν. Μιμήσασθαι Ματθαῖον θέλω· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τελώνης ἦν ὡς καὶ ἐγώ, ἀλλὰ Ματθαῖος μὲν οὐκ αὐθαιρέτως προσέδραμεν, ἀλλὰ κληθεὶς ὑπήκουσεν. Τάχα δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ὁρῶν καὶ ἕνα τῶν ὁδοιπόρων νομίζων τὰς χεῖρας ἐκοίλανεν καὶ βαθὺν ἐφήπλωσε κόλπον τῇ συνηθείᾳ πρὸς τὴν λῆψιν ὀχηματιζόμενος καὶ τελωνῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν θέλων ἀντετελωνήθη παρ' αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ κατὰ σχῆμα, ἀλλ' ὅλον ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδούς. Ἅμα γὰρ ἤκουσεν· ∆εῦρο ὀπίσω μου, ὑπερέβη τὴν κλῆσιν τῇ προθυμίᾳ ὀξυτέρῳ τάχει παρατρέχων τῷ ἐφελκομένῳ. Εἰ τελώνας οὖν καλεῖ καὶ οὐ καλεῖ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαιοῖ, οὐ βλάπτει με τῶν προλαβόντων κακῶν ὁ ἑσμός· εἰ γὰρ ὁ Ἐλισσαῖος ἅλας ἐπιβαλὼν τῇ θρεψαμένῃ πηγῇ τὸ ἄγονον αὐτῆς γόνιμον εἰργάσατο, πάντως καὶ αὐτὸς τῇ χάριτι ὡς ἅλατι ἀρτύσας μου τὴν ψυχὴν καρπογονίαν ἀρετῆς 3 διεγείρει «.Ταῦτα δὲ ἐνθυμουμένου αὐτοῦ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἀναβλέψας λέγει αὐτῷ· Ζακχαῖε, σπεύσας κατάβηθι. Ἀνέβης εἰς τὸ δένδρον ὡς τελώνης, κατάβηθι ἐκ τοῦ δένδρου ὡς φιλόθεος. Κατάβα ἐκ τοῦ ξύλου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἵνα ἀναβῇς διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ πρὸς οὐρανόν. Ἀνῆλθες ἐπὶ δένδρον ἀνθρώπους κρυπτόμενος, ἀνέρχῃ διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀγγέλοις χαριζόμενος.