Scripture Reflections

One of Luke’s quirks is his tendency to “tell the story twice.” Sometimes, he actually recounts the exact same story twice (see Acts 10 and 11), but usually he does this by putting two similar stories in parallel with one another. These “doublets” reinforce and clarify one another through their similarities and differences.

For example, Luke opens with two women with a miraculous baby—Mary and Elizabeth. Two people sing a song of praise because of these miraculous babies—Mary and Zechariah. Two prophets greet Jesus in the temple as an infant—Simeon and Anna. Acts itself is the story of the ministries of two men—Peter and Paul. Luke loves doublets!

Zacchaeus is a part of three doublets. He is the second of two tax-collectors who turn to Jesus. Given that the first (Levi) became one of the twelve disciples, the reader should wonder whether Zacchaeus actually left his home to follow Jesus as well. Perhaps he was one of the 120 at Pentecost? He is also the second of two wealthy men to be confronted over his wealth (see Luke 18:18-25), but unlike the first, he was willing to give his wealth away.

The other doublet that Zacchaeus participates in is fascinating! He is one of two people who interact with Jesus in Jericho (read Luke 18:35-19:10 straight through to see the parallels and contrasts). The first is a blind beggar, and the second is Zacchaeus. One rich and one poor. Both outcasts, but for different reasons. But perhaps most importantly, both blind and yet wanting to see. That Zacchaeus is blind is evident in the repetition of words for seeing in his story (5 times in 10 verses), but even more so in the tree he had to climb. Like the blind beggar, he wanted to see!

Luke is hinting at something in this doublet of the blind beggar and Zacchaeus. Two men who receive mercy, two men who are healed, two men who receive salvation—yet they have only one thing in common. They aren’t alike in any other way except that they want to see Jesus! Luke’s message for us is clear: Our goal should be to see Jesus at all costs, even if it means looking like a fool on the side of the road who is screaming at Jesus or another fool on the side of the road up in a tree. Seeing Jesus is more important than anything else.

Steven+