Zacchaean Effects & Ethics of the Spirit

Effects and ethics of the Holy Spirit today can be described in terms of the themes of abundance, hope and community in the story of Zacchaeus. The Gospel of Luke (19:1-11) records that Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector, and rich. He was an outcast, and isolated from those around him by the shameful behavior that built up his fortune while keeping others weak and poor and subjugated to the ruling authority. In the world of his day, Zacchaeus would have been scorned and resented for the abuses of power that made him wealthy. For all his riches, Zacchaeus may have lived with a perspective of scarcity, haunted by the fear that there would never be enough for him. In a world of limitation and not enough, it seemed that he had to look out for himself--even at the expense of the poor and helpless