An old Christian adage says that every Christian needs to experience three conversions—a conversion of the heart, the head, and finally the pocketbook. Zacchaeus has all three. He slips out of the grip of his own greed. He is a changed person, living into the justice Jesus wants for the entire world.

When Jesus says to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house,” the word he uses for “house” is oikos, which is the source of our word economy. The root of economy is the basic needs of the household. Sometimes economic justice is personal, meaning it touches our everyday lives and interactions with people. Maybe you have given generously to help others in their times of need. You do so because salvation has come to your household and freed you to share what you have.

Other times economic justice is systemic. This kind of justice is more difficult to come by, partly because we allow our governments and institutions to be greedy for us. Systemic economic justice reminds us that we are all children of God and that the world is one household. If the salvation of Jesus has come to our household—our entire economy on a global scale—then even our institutions can be redeemed. We can pay attention to the products we buy, asking whether people and the planet were treated fairly in creating them. We can protest unjust policies around wages, poverty, education, and health care. We can take action for more affordable housing.

All of this is easier said than done. Our wallet is often the last part of us we want Jesus to redeem. As we grow in faith, we readjust our saving, our spending, and our giving because we recognize everything we have is a gift from God, and we long to be generous to God’s household throughout the world.