Zaccheus was a very fortunate man. Surely, he had heard about the Great Teacher. And he must also have heard about some of Jesus’ teachings from his neighbors.
Sometime before Jesus arrived in Jericho, he must have decided to mend his ways. And now, regardless of the spectacle that he might create, getting rid of false human respects, he decided to climb a tree (something far below his social station) just so that he could catch a glimpse of that Teacher who had already made much an impact on is life.
Jesus could read men’s hearts. He knew that the short man up in the tree was not there out of mere curiosity. He could see that the grace of God had touched Zaccheus heart, and that there had been a conversion.
And He was right. “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold” (Luke 19:8).
We can learn many things from this short man. But today, we can concentrate on his decision to restore whatever he had dishonestly gained.
True conversion always implies the desire to restitute. Sorrow or contrition means the desire not to have done the wrong for which we are sorry. Therefore, it necessarily implies the desire to repair any evil effects that may have ensued from our wrongdoing.
For example, if we are sorry for having stolen or cheated, then we should try our best to return whatever we have gained dishonestly to its rightful owner.
If we are sorry for having gossiped or backbitten (and this is a sin so common nowadays, but many people don’t even realize it), we should try to restore the honor of that person whom we have unjustly defamed.
If we are not willing to make restitution, then we are not truly sorry. And without genuine sorrow, no forgiveness is possible.
Once, the famous Cure of Ars received a lady who confessed, rather flippantly, that she had gossiped. She did not seem to be aware of the gravity of her fault. For her penance, she was asked to get a handful of hay, to throw it up, and to pick up all the pieces again.
“What a strange penance,” she must have thought to herself. As she threw the hay up, a gust of wind came along and scattered all the pieces away. As she went here and there trying to gather the pieces of hay, she realized the wisdom of that penance.
How difficult it is to gather up the idle words, and the harm caused by their spread, as they stray away from our lips. How difficult it is to restore the good name of someone we have calumniated or detracted from!
If we were to remember the need that we have to restore what we have unjustly taken away, whether it be wealth or honor, we would perhaps be more tenacious in resisting the sins and temptations against justice.