Scripture Study for

The reading from Wisdom comes from a larger section that rehearses God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt as a demonstration of God’s power and providence (11:2 — 12:27). The notable feature of that deliverance is God’s control of natural forces, which is not surprising considering that God’s “almighty hand . . . had fashioned the universe from formless matter” (11:17). God is indeed master of the entire created world, which is almost nothing when compared to its Creator. Yet this same omnipotent God looks with mercy on all that has been created, giving them time to repent of their sins.  Since God is the source of all that is, and nothing exists without  God’s constant consent, it stands to reason that there is nothing and no one who exists unless God desires their existence. From this we can see that God hates no creature, in the sense of desiring or being indifferent to their destruction. 

In his Second Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul urges them to stand fast in the face of deep social disapproval. The Christian faith  does not bring prestige, but mockery, and this can lead to a sense  of “unworthiness.” Paul assures his audience that in their steadfast adherence to the faith, they are proving themselves worthy of the call they received from God. This is what they must keep foremost in mind as they struggle to live out their faith. In doing so, the “name of Jesus” is glorified, in the sense that they publicly acknowledge him through words and deeds. They in turn are “glorified” in the truest sense, acknowledged and rewarded by Christ, whose estimation matters infinitely more than society’s. The second part of the reading alludes to some disturbance and confusion in the community that has been caused by a prophetic utterance or perhaps a forged letter from Paul that claims that the parousia has already occurred.

As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus stood to make a lot of money by contracting with the Romans to collect a certain amount in taxes. He then employed many others to collect the taxes, keeping for himself whatever he received beyond what he owed the Romans. The system was tailor-made for corruption and abuse. This is the main reason tax collectors were “sinners”: they abused others economically and gained whatever wealth they had unjustly. His encounter with Jesus exemplifies why Jesus “welcomes sinners and eats with them,” not because he condoned their behavior but as a way to offer them the opportunity to repent and “be found” (15:1–7). Indeed he does seek and find Zacchaeus, and his self-invitation to stay with him—once again the cause of grumbling—leads precisely to the happy outcome of another sinner no longer lost but found.