Posted on 11/02/2013 3:50:46 PM PDT by NYer
A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, November 3, 2013 | Carl E. Olson
Readings:
• Wis 11:22-12:2
• Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14
• 2 Thes 1:11-2:2
• Lk 19:1-10
“That’s a good question. I’ve never really thought about it.”
The remark was made a number of years ago by a forty-year-old relative who had been asked, “What do you think is the meaning of life? Why are we here?” His honest answer shocked me. After all, he was an intelligent and well-educated man; surely he had pondered the mystery of his existence at some point in his life!
Sadly, some people do not. Or at least try not too. But most people, in some way or another, do ask the big questions of life: Who am I? Why am I here? Why do I exist? The author of the Book of Wisdom certainly pondered these questions. We don’t know his name, but he was apparently a well-educated Jewish author living in or around Alexandria, Egypt, between 50 to 180 years prior to the birth of Jesus. He tackled big issues, including exhorting fellow Jews to live holy lives, defending the existence of a just and all-powerful God, and denouncing the materialism, skepticism, and idolatry so prevalent among the pagans (and some Jews) of his day. He was educated in Greek thought and rhetoric, and he often used Hellenistic terms and ideas of defend his beliefs in a Creator, providence, and divine judgment.
In today’s reading from the Book of Wisdom, the author emphasizes two seemingly disparate qualities of God: His omnipotence, or all-powerful nature, and His love for His creation. On one hand the Lord is so great that all of creation is but a fleck of dust or drop of water; on the other hand, He loves everything that He has fashioned and He upholds it all by His loving will. He is, the author writes, both Lord and “lover of souls.”
The author then makes a point that appears several times in the Book of Wisdom: man’s disbelief in God is not a matter of intellectual weakness as much as it is a matter of moral failure. Man is a creature with a built-in need to worship someone or something. The rejection of God means the acceptance of false gods. Even those materialists who say there is no God or gods end up worshipping false idols of one sort or another, including power, science, money, or pleasure. Or even themselves.
In the face of a vast universe, what is man’s response to his own existence? The author of the Book of Wisdom says that humility, thanksgiving, and right living are the only reasonable responses to the mystery of life. Likewise, the Psalmist declares, “Let your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you.” The story of the chief tax collector Zacchaeus and his encounter with Jesus, found only in Luke’s Gospel, touches on similar themes.
Like the rich young ruler depicted a chapter prior (Lk 18:18-23), Zacchaeus is rich and powerful. But as a tax collector, who practiced a profession known for corruption and injustice, it would have been difficult for Zacchaeus to claim that he had kept the Law perfectly, as the rich young ruler had. Yet there was something different about Zacchaeus, who “was seeking to see who Jesus was.” The crowds, it seems, were there out of mere curiosity, but Zacchaeus had a deep desire to truly understand and know Jesus. And in seeking Jesus, this wealthy man had no qualms about making a fool of himself in public.
“He ignored the crowd that was getting in his way,” Augustine said in a sermon, “He instead climbed a sycamore tree, a tree of ‘silly fruit’.” After meeting Jesus, the tax collector promises to give generously to the poor and to repay fourfold anyone he may have defrauded.
What is the meaning of life? The answer is found when we acknowledge our Creator and seek the Savior. “Say what you like,” said Augustine, “but for our part, let us climb the sycamore tree and see Jesus.” That is something to really think about.
Ping!
We just visited the traditional site in Jericho. It’s nice to actually see the distances Jesus traveled in his ministry.
What is the Book of Wisdom?
I never had any urge to ask those “philosophical” questions, like what is the meaning of life, why are we here, etc...
The people always talking about that stuff and going on about it never made much sense but sure liked to talk.
I also think people who ask those questions aren’t really asking that and aren’t really trying to know that.
prep
The OT Book of Wisdom was written about a hundred years before the coming of Christ. Its author, whose name is not known to us, was a member of the Jewish community at Alexandria, in Egypt. He wrote in Greek, in a style patterned on that of Hebrew verse. At times he speaks in the person of Solomon, placing his teachings on the lips of the wise king of Hebrew tradition in order to emphasize their value. His profound knowledge of the earlier Old Testament writings is reflected in almost every line of the book, and marks him, like Ben Sira, as an outstanding representative of religious devotion and learning among the sages of postexilic Judaism.
The Book of Wisdom is part of the Canon of Scripture. Is this not in your Bible?
Oh. Its apocraphya.
Ok. Thanks.
By the way, It’s not in the Old Testament, so your answer is a bit misleading.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a little maaan was heeeee!
“Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
and a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see.
And when the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree.
And said, ‘Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today!
For I’m going to your house today!’
Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
But a happy man was he,
For he had seen the Lord that day
And a happy man was he;
And a very happy man was he.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV8wFANocHY
Correction. The Book of Wisdom is part of the Apocrypha. Catholics added this to their Canon of Scripture in the 1500s through the Council of Trent. Protestants adhere to the original Canon of Scripture laid down in the late 300AD.
If the Book of Wisdom is not in your Bible, you are holding to what was given to us by the early fathers.
Zachaeus WANTED to see Christ. And did you notice that Christ invited himself to the house of Zachawus even before the man could repent.
No wonder there was grumbling among the Pharisees.
Catholics did not add this to their Scripture. Luther took it out.
Luke 19:9
“9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house...”
Yes indeed, yes indeed.
Gents the battle of the “canons” was fought on two previous threads. I agree with HarleyD and ifinnegan, but I don’t think NYer intended his Zacchaeus thread to become another battle of the 16th century thread. I am no moderator so just giving some advice on being polite. I go after Roman Catholics for starting up old fights on our threads.
You could be right about Zacchaeus not repenting prior to Jesus inviting Himself to Zacchaeus' house. Then again, we cannot be certain. However we do see fruits of repentance when Zacchaeus bursts out to tell Jesus all he does or is going to do. If the Root is good so will the fruit.
When reading this portion of Luke 19 I am constantly reminded of Isaiah 55:
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Perhaps we let NYer have a thread where we all discuss the subject of the thread. I asked other Evangelicals to exercise this same courtesy to NYer. Then again, everyone can dismiss me since I am just a fellow poster.
Zachaeus WANTED to see Christ.Zacchaeus means pure.
Cf. Mt 5:8 -- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Just correcting an error in posting. Sorry if that offends you.
Oh, dear, do we have a second Religion Moderator?
Trying to make the thread about me?
Not my intent. If you read my post to the gentleman you replied to, I think your tone would be different. I thought a bit of Christian compassion was in order to respect NYers thread.
ping
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