Seek and Save

Sunday, October 31st, 2004
22nd after Pentecost
Jerusalem Baptist Church, Emmerton
Luke 19:1-10

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ 9 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’

Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he
He climbed up in the sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see
And as the Savior passed that way he looked up in that tree
And he said,” Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I’m going to your house today!
For I’m going to your house today!

How many of us have never heard the story of Zacchaeus?

How many of our earliest impressions of what it means to be a Christian come from nursery rhymes and Sunday school choruses? Can you identify the first time you heard about Jonah and the whale (NOT the big FISH), or Noah and the Ark, Daniel in the lion’s den?

Some stories stick with us. As children, we’re geared to focus in on those aspects of stories we hear with which we can identify … hmm … come to think of it, I suppose the same can be said of us as adults, as HUMANS.

If there’s no common ground, there’s very little to hold our attention, and so we move on – we listen for a couple of minutes and then mentally check out, assuming that there IS no common ground.

Let’s look a little more closely at the story. What is Luke trying to convey with this story – not ONLY in and of itself, but as a part of the tapestry woven together by the different stories that have preceded it and which follow it?

The last half of chapter 18 shapes our understanding of this text:

(18:15-17) First, people bring little children to see Jesus. The disciples rebuke the parents, but Jesus intervenes saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs".

(18:18-27) Then a rich ruler comes to Jesus asking how he might be saved. He goes away sadly after learning that he will have to sacrifice his riches. Jesus says, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" Those who hear Jesus ask, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus replies, "What is impossible for mortals is possible for God".

(18:35-43) Then a blind beggar sitting at the side of the road shouts his plea for mercy. The crowd tries to quiet him, but the man persists. Jesus orders the man to be brought to him and declares, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you".

In each of those instances, Jesus reverses the ordinary. He welcomes children and beggars, but places heavy demands on those whom others would welcome with open arms.

In the case of the rich ruler, Jesus leaves the door ajar. It is difficult for rich people to be saved, but God can save them. This leads naturally into our Gospel lesson, the story of Zacchaeus, a rich man who finds salvation. The rich ruler is too attached to his possessions to give them to the poor. Zacchaeus, on the other hand, voluntarily pledges to give half his possessions to the poor and to make restitution to any whom he has cheated. If he does what he says he will do, he will have voluntarily done what Jesus asked of the rich ruler (18:18-27).

In preparing for the message today, there’s an interesting tidbit of information that was brought out – in verse 8 - It is not clear whether Zacchaeus has defrauded anyone. His verbs, "give" (didomi) and "pay back" (apodidomi) are present tense (rather than future tense as the NRSV translates them) and may indicate that he routinely gives to the poor and offers restitution to those whom he has wronged. In other words, he might be innocent of any wrongdoing, and what we’re dealing with is Jesus making known that fact by publicly associating with Zaccheus. In a very literal sense, Jesus pronounces his blessing on Zaccheus and his household, and it is a transformational experience.

If we were to follow that perspective of the story, the focus changes substantially, but not ultimately.

Last week I referred to Zacchaeus and his "dramatic" turnaround. That is still the generally accepted understanding of the story: that prior to meeting Jesus he was a scoundrel, but that when he met Jesus here, in this story, when Jesus accepted him, trusted him, and sat and ate with him, he in turn learned to accept not only Jesus, but his community as well.

Consider for a moment the possibility that at some point prior to THIS particular encounter, Jesus had already had some influence on Zaccheus. Somewhere along the line, Zacchaeus was standing behind a group of people listening to Jesus speak – and something Jesus said triggered that change that we assume happened at the end of this scene – only before.

The problem is, everyone – and I do mean everyone - in Jericho can’t get past the fact that Zaccheus is the chief tax collector (v 7 – “ALL who saw it began to grumble”).

Typically, a chief tax collector contracted with Romans to collect taxes in a particular town or region, and paid a substantial fee for the franchise. He then subcontracted the actual collection of taxes. His profit was the difference between his franchise fee and the amount of taxes collected. The system was prone to abuse, rewarding tax collectors for excessive collections. If the citizenry rebelled, Roman soldiers stood ready to put down the rebellion (although a tax collector who provoked excessive rebellion risked losing his franchise). Jews despised tax collectors as mercenaries and thieves.

A leopard can’t change its spots, right? So what we’re dealing with here is prejudice. Prejudice on the part of the general population of Jericho towards this diminutive man, who has been fundamentally changed, but no one sees it because they still only think of him as Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector.

That seems to be the whole point of Jesus’ coming. He changes us. Dramatically, drastically, radically, sometimes slowly and sometimes suddenly, but he does change us. What he may be doing here with Zaccheus is broadening that effect.

As chief tax-collector, Zacchaeus was an outsider, a social leper. Jesus brings him inside again, declaring him to be a "son of Abraham," just has he has pronounced the woman crippled with a spirit of infirmity for 18 years a "daughter of Abraham" (13:16).

Zacchaeus is not saved in isolation. Jesus declares that "salvation has come to this house" (oikos -- which in this context implies "household" or "family"). Zacchaeus' salvation will affect the entire community as he provides support for the poor and restitution to those whom he has defrauded. A community could be transformed by the presence of a tax collector whom people can trust.

What does this mean for Jerusalem Baptist Church at Emmerton?

Perhaps this story says more about the community of Jericho than it does about Zacchaeus. Perhaps what we need to notice is the reaction of the crowd - and Jesus' actions in spite of them.

Maybe the message for us today is that we are to acknowledge - and celebrate - the transformative power of the Holy Spirit WHEREVER it moves - HOWEVER unlikely a place.

We dare not judge any person hopeless. Whether we are murderers, terrorists, racists, or rapists, gossips, liars, or gluttons, Christ seeks to save us all. Sometimes, against all odds, he succeeds.

Let’s pray.


with deep gratitude to Richard Niell Donovan