σωτηρία, σῶσαι

Luke 19:1-10 (NRSV)

Jesus and Zacchaeus

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 

6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Uh oh, another tax-collector, though unlike the parable fellow who went to temple to pray, Zacchaeus is an arch-tax-collector, a chief tax collector. Arch, as in archbishop or archdeacon. Arch, high.

But the interesting words in Sunday’s gospel are σωτηρία, salvation and σῶσαι, save. Meaning what? Paul and other NT writers have it personal and future apocalyptic, in the coming kingdom of God expected imminently, how does Jesus mean it, here?

About the son of man. In the gospels, Jesus uses it three ways. To mean humans generally. Referring to the apocalyptic figure in Daniel chaper 7. Obliquely, perhaps modestly, meaning himself instead of saying “I.” (why, who knows). Each use is arguable as to what he means. Here he seems to mean “I” -- I came to seek and save the lost. 

Save? Rescue from the power of sin. Rescue for when? For Zacchaeus, now, not in some future apocalyptic age, now. Zaccheaus has repented and turned his life around, he’s clean now, rescued from destruction, σῶσαι, saved. 

I think it means now: henceforth his life will be honest and straight, blameless. But, especially to any extent Luke sees Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet, it may mean more than that. 

TW+