Fr. Martin and LGBTQ Zacchaeus

Michie · Nov 25, 2023

Zacchaeus, Fr. Martin explains, is the symbol of LGBTQ inclusion in the Church.

Most Christians consider the story of the tax collector Zacchaeus to be a powerful reminder of how God’s grace can move the greatest of sinners to seek Jesus in humble repentance. But for Fr. James Martin, the story of the diminutive tax collector is really about how the Church creates unnecessary obstacles that place LGBTQ+ people on the outs and how the Church must be more “welcoming” instead.

Let’s follow Fr. Martin’s exegesis and see if it adds up.

Martin invites the reader to “see Zacchaeus as an emblem of the LGBTQ person.” This isn’t because some LGBTQ persons should repent of sexual immorality in the same way Zacchaeus is traditionally seen to have repented from defrauding people. No, dear reader, Fr. Martin assures his most loyal fans that “I’m not saying LGBTQ people are any more sinful than anyone else—we’re all sinners in one way or another.”

Instead, Zacchaeus is short in stature, and LGBTQ people have “little stature” in the Church. Both are “on the outs” and are kept from Jesus by a grumbling crowd who is indignant that Jesus would offer them mercy. Martin asks how often the Church acts like “the crowd” that keeps LGBTQ people from Jesus.

When Jesus calls Zacchaeus down from the tree, Martin rapturously remarks, “How joyful it is to be welcomed into the community! Many LGBTQ people know the joy of finally feeling welcomed.”

You’d think at this point that Martin would say that just as Zacchaeus repented of the sin of defrauding others, LGBTQ people who engage in sexual immorality should repent of those sins as well. Instead, Martin says the Greek text of the narrative reveals something completely new about Zacchaeus that most people misunderstand. Instead of Zacchaeus promising he will give half his possessions to anyone he has defrauded, Zacchaeus is actually speaking in the present tense: he already is giving away his possessions to those who feel defrauded. According to Martin:

Continued below.