Thirty First Sunday (“C”) – October 30, 2016

For many people in Jericho, Zacchaeus was a write-off, a selfish waste of space. He was beyond the pale and beyond redemption. Many people in the world believe this to be true of others. The selfish behavior of human beings can lead us to conclude that this world is beyond saving. Certainly the extremes of violence that we see and hear of every day tend to make us feel somewhat hopeless about the prospects for a brighter future. Recent scientific studies by the Common Cause Foundation have turned up surprisingly positive results about human beings. The first says that we are far more unselfish than we are given credit for. The second conclusion is that others are thought to be more selfish than in fact they are. Science is coming to the same conviction that our faith already teaches us. Human kindness is greater than human wickedness. Salvation can come to this house. Followers of the Lord live by this conviction.