Zacchaeus understood that his sins had created communal trauma and constructed a perpetual underclass. He knew that his economic exploitation harmed more individuals than the people he directly extorted. Zacchaeus acknowledged that the depraved system of tax collection generated oppressive patterns of debt, poverty, and abuse that had to be atoned for. When we are spiritually mature enough to soberly assess our sins and the collective impact they have had on our neighbors, the Spirit leads us to discern what true reconciliation requires.
