Informal talk

In medieval times, healing ointments were called salves. These were creams made with herbs, oils and fats. Although the formula has changed, the name – or variations of it – can be still found. Ask if anyone knows the name of a brand of ointment sold today, used for scratches, stings, etc. You could display a pot or tube of Savlon™. And there is another variation of the word, often used to describe those who are sent to retrieve the remains of a shipwreck or a car crash, and those who look to reuse or recycle the materials brought back. Ask if anyone can tell you what it might be. You could display a salvage truck.

Salve and salvage are both words that mean rescue. Sometimes we say that we salve our conscience by doing a good deed or giving a present, which means we save or rescue – or heal – our conscience. We make it feel better. We make it better. Salve, salvage – and salvation: they all have the same underlying meaning.

It is, our reading says, what Jesus brought to Zacchaeus and his household. Zacchaeus was healed and rescued. Rescued from loneliness. Rescued from poor self-image. Healed by Jesus’ friendship. Healed by salving his own conscience. As a result of feeling better – of being made better – Zacchaeus gave away half of his possessions, and paid back the money he had taken from others four times over. Salvation came to Zacchaeus and his household. Jesus’ care for Zacchaeus was like a salve that brought healing to someone who had previously been lonely and mean.