As you know I read commentaries. I research places. I wonder about Jesus’
journey and what it means for us today.
As I wrote this sermon I got lost.
I got lost in little stories of surprise and blessing and then it dawned
on me…This is a little story of surprise and Blessing.
This story of Zacchaeus is found only in Luke’s Gospel.
Taking the story at face value raises a few questions. “Why is Zacchaeus so
interested in Jesus? How does Jesus know Zacchaeus name? What transpired to
prompt Zacchaeus to make such excessive restitution to the poor and to victims
he may have defrauded? When is Zacchaeus’s speech in Luke 19:8 made—on the way
to his house or after Jesus’ visit?”[1]
Soo many questions and probably none of these will be
answered. I don’t know maybe some…we will have to wait and see.
Who is Zacchaeus? Well,
we are told he is more than just a tax collector he is the chief tax collector
and “Because the lucrative production and export of balsam was centered in
Jericho, his position would have carried both importance and wealth.”[2]
So, here is a wealthy influential man in the very rich city
of Jericho. The town is very rich. It is
a vacation spot for the rich and famous;
“At the time of Jesus, Jericho was known as an oasis city.
In fact, Herod the Great built his winter palace near here because of its warm
climate and fresh water springs. The Bible describes Jericho as the “City of
Palm Trees.”
Since Jericho catered to the rich and powerful during the
time of Jesus, homeless outcasts often lined the roads in and out of town
because it was a good place to encounter the well-to-do traders and political
elites.”[3]
It isn’t but a few paragraphs before this Jesus encounters
an affluent ruler. A man well to do,
rich even. When inquired how to enter heaven Jesus lays out the basic rules and
the man, seemingly not content for quote “I do all those things” Jesus invites
him further to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. At which he
becomes very sad for he was very rich.
This is where Jesus tells us how difficult it is for the
rich to enter heaven and it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the
needle…Now we are literally four paragraphs later and it seems we are about to
thread that needle…
One commentator puts it this way: “the man’s name will give
us a clue: it is an abbreviation of Zachariah, “the Lord has remembered’, so
despite the fact has so much going against him as an “Affluent tax collector’,
we feel optimistic about the outcome of the story.”[4]
There is some comedy being played out as well. I mean it is
obvious to us even today. Not much
explanation needed. Here is one of the
most rich, influential people in town sees Jesus coming and one translation
states; “and he was trying to see Jesus (‘which one is he’); and he couldn’t,
because of the crowd, because he was small in stature.” (Luke19:1-4)
Here is the big rich influential man and yet well can’t you
just picture him jumping up and down and trying to see and no one is paying him
any attention or moving out of the way. So,
what does he do? He runs up ahead and
climbs a tree.
Imagine the sight of one of the richest and most influential
people in town scrambling up a tree like a child excited to see a parade pass by. Then Jesus stops right under the tree looks
up and all are expecting Jesus to scold the man or rebuke him but instead Jesus
calls him by name.
Jesus calls him by name.
He is so famous that even though Jesus is just passing through he knows
him by name…maybe he was informed by someone in the crowd or perhaps that is
just how Jesus spirit was working that day.
I can’t imagine his excitement. Can you? One of the most famous preachers and teachers
of his time walks up to him, ok under him, and calls him by name and says I am
going to your house today!
“Jesus looked up and said to him ‘Zacchaeus! Quick – down
you come: because today I must stay in your House!” (Luke 19:5)
There seems to be an earnest in Jesus command. Jesus is not asking for an invitation; he is
not given any warning for the man to prepare his house.
What happens next is totally amazing to me, Zacchaeus
hurry’s down. Maybe he even swung from a branch and leapt down. “And he
Joyfully gave him hospitality” he wasn’t put out. He wasn’t in a panic trying to impress.
What would you do to try and see just which person in the
crowd was Jesus?? How would you know? I
wonder how many times Jesus has walked right by us or we walked right by Christ
and did not even know which person they were.?
Just wondering?
I also wonder how many here have heard Jesus call them by
name? What did that voice sound like?
Did we know at the time it was the voice of God or not till much later?
Hind sight and all you know…
When we did hear the call of Jesus, the call to ministry did
we answer joyfully, were we prepared to offer Joyful hospitality? Or did we maybe grumble and set about our
duty? Did we put conditions on the call
or bargain with God?
“he came down in a hurry, and joyfully gave him hospitality”
What a blessing… I’d like to think I would be like wow,
congratulations. Tell me all about it after he is gone but nooo
peopled grumbled, they complained that he had gone into the
house of a man that’s a sinner!!!
Wait a minute who said he was a sinner? Whose call is that to make? Is he a sinner
just because he is a chief tax collector? Tax were reviled by the Jews of
Jesus' day because of their perceived greed and collaboration with the Roman
occupiers. But how often can perception be skewed by our own prejudice?
In the direct translation to hearing these grumblings
Zacchaeus says; “Look, Lord; I am giving half my possessions to the poor; and
if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I’m giving it back fourfold.”
Unlike the NSRV the action is in present tense. In spite of what people believe this man is
walking the walk even from his position as a chief tax collector he is giving
half of his possessions to the poor.
And if someone can
show he has defrauded them he gives back with interest “Four-Fold”.
Jesus proclaims that salvation has come unto this house that
Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham! He is a
member of the family. Even though the
family had him set as an outsider Jesus proclaims the outside is in.
The last shall be first and the first shall be last. We do not often think of the rich and the
affluential as being the last. But that
is because we judge, we have divided, we have chosen who is us and who is
them. It is hard not to do.
Jesus said it would be harder for a rich man to enter into
heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle and yet here we
stand Jesus has just thread that needle.
When we look at Zacchaeus and the rich ruler…
“the similarities, but mainly the contrasts between the two characters are remarkable, particularly
regarding the matter of wealth- the idolatry of one verses the freedom of the
other, the sadness of the one verses the joy of the other…Zacchaeus’s response
to Jesus illustrates that the miracle can occur, that the wealthy can gain
freedom from possessions that possess them, just as the blind come to see, the
lame to walk, the demon possessed to be restored , and the dead to be made
alive.”[5]
There is an old hymn that says ;
I sought the Lord,
and afterwards I knew
He moved my soul to
seek him, seeking me;
It was not I that
found, O Savior true;
No, I was found of
thee.”[6]
I have asked many questions throughout his sermon. Most will
remain unanswered by me. For each of us
must choose how we respond when Jesus calls us by name. When Jesus invites himself into our house. It
doesn’t matter what others think of you. It doesn’t even matter what you think
of oyu. How will you respond to
Jesus? With Joyfull hospitality or will
you walk away sad?
Will you let Jesus thread that needle?
[1] Texts
for Preaching. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Pr., 1994.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zacchaeus
[3] https://www.drivethruhistory.com/jericho-and-jesus/
[5] Texts
for Preaching. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Pr., 1994.
[6]
Ditto
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