There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich… [Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house and dined with him.]
Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Luke 19:1-10.
Poverty of Spirit includes grief that arises when a person realizes and admits that s/he has committed wrongs against God or people. When such an admission takes up residence in one’s conscience, it burns a hole. Like it did for Zacchaeus.
We don’t know what motivated Zacchaeus to take up the occupation of tax collector. Perhaps he was coerced by the Romans. More likely, he was attracted to the prospect of being wealthy. Whatever the attraction, he had to silence every moral, godly voice that had may have formerly guided his life.
Jesus awakened Zacchaeus’ godly self. All the voices from the past that previously guided him had to be called back into service. That Zacchaeus climbed up in a tree to see Jesus indicates that his conscience wasn’t entirely hardened.
Now Zacchaeus had to deal with the chaos Jesus caused to arise in him. Feelings of shame and guilt stirred conscience causing poverty of spirit. The only way to silence the shame was by making right what he had done in the past.
Poverty of spirit, in this case, was the belief that he had consciously turned away from everything noble and good to financially benefit himself. He had ceased caring that he was causing struggle for others because of the exorbitant taxes he demanded they pay. (Tax collectors were able to charge more than the taxes owed to the Roman government in order to pay themselves.)
Poverty of spirit resides in the human heart. Being poor in spirit is being attuned to the joy and pain of the heart. Humbled. Accountable. Repentant. This is why what Jesus and Zacchaeus talked about found a home within the tax collector.
Prayer:
Jesus, your words have a way of worming their way into human hearts. Like Zacchaeus. We pray that we have hearts similarly attuned to your teaching. Give the poverty of heart that welcomes and lives out what you have to tell us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.