Zacchaeus the Tax Collector: From Lonely Power to Salvation

About this sermon

In this Christian homily for the Sunday of Zacchaeus, we explore one of the most powerful and misunderstood encounters in the Gospel of Luke: Christ’s meeting with Zacchaeus the tax collector. Zacchaeus was rich, powerful, and deeply hated — a chief tax collector working for the Roman occupation. Yet beneath his wealth and influence was a man who was lonely, lost, and searching. Drawing unexpected parallels with “Behind Blue Eyes” by The Who, this sermon reflects on inner turmoil, conscience, repentance, and the mercy of Christ. Christ does not shame Zacchaeus. He does not lecture him. Instead, Jesus proclaims: “Today salvation has come to this house.” This homily invites us to reconsider what it means to be lost. Lost does not mean condemned — it means being in the wrong place. As the Church enters Byzantine Pre-Lent, with the Sundays of Zacchaeus, the Publican and the Pharisee, and the Prodigal Son, we are reminded that salvation awaits those who are willing to climb the tree — the tree of repentance, humility, and ultimately, the Cross. “God provides the wind, but we must raise the sails.” — St. Augustine This message is especially for anyone who feels stuck, ashamed, spiritually lonely, or convinced they are beyond redemption. Christ came to seek and to save the lost. 00:00 – Glory to Jesus Christ 00:22 – The Priest, the Lawyer, and the Tax Collector (Opening Joke) 01:18 – Why We Disdain Lawyers and Tax Collectors 01:37 – “Behind Blue Eyes” and Inner Turmoil 02:04 – How Lonely It Is to Be Powerful 02:46 – Who Was Zacchaeus Really? 03:15 – Tax Collectors: Less IRS, More Mafia 04:17 – Jericho: Wealth, Power, and Corruption 05:14 – Rich Yet Low in Stature: A Spiritual Reading 05:41 – St. Paul and the Divided Heart 06:03 – Zacchaeus Seeks to See Who Jesus Is 06:36 – The Publican and the Pharisee Connection 07:16 – Why Zacchaeus Couldn’t Approach the Crowd 08:03 – Climbing the Tree to See Christ 08:14 – “Today Salvation Has Come to This House” 08:43 – What It Really Means to Be Lost 09:45 – Raising the Sails of Repentance 09:55 – Entering Byzantine Pre-Lent 10:42 – The Tree of Repentance, Humility, and the Cross 11:02 – Jesus Christ For more please visit https://www.youtube.com/@epiphanybyz & please say 3 Hail Marys for the priest. 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #Zacchaeus #OrthodoxChristianity #OrthodoxHomily #SundayOfZacchaeus #PreLent #Repentance #Salvation #GospelOfLuke #JesusChrist #EasternOrthodox #ChristianSermon #Humility #TheCross

Topics

• Salvation
• Relationships
• Strength in Hard Times