Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] October 30, 2022 “Present or Future” Luke 19:1-10 –The Message Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by. 5-7 When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home.” Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, “What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?” 8 Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, “Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I’m caught cheating, I pay four times the damages.” 9-10 Jesus said, “Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.” Back when I was about Luca’s age, I remember watching a video about Zacchaeus in Sunday School. Of course, a “video” in those days involved the teacher cutting biblical characters out of felt and moving them around on a flannelgraph board, making it a “motion picture.” Quite clever. As a 5-year-old, it was fascinating and obviously memorable. All the way back to those flannelgraph days, I remember watching the teacher move Zacchaeus up into a sycamore tree. We even sang a song about a “wee little man.” As kids we could relate to him. We’d all experienced missing out because a bunch of tall adults were in front of us, unable to see what was so exciting. Zacchaeus had an ingenious idea to just climb a tree. And then how wonderful to have Jesus, the one you want to see, look up and see you! For kids, the story about Zacchaeus has a lot going for it. It seems pretty simple. If you do something wrong, make up for it. Promise to make it right. Adults, of course, have a knack for making simple things complicated. So, on that morning, this guy named Jesus was going to pass through town. Was Zacchaeus just curious? Or did he wake up and say, I think I need to make a change in my life? But, if we dig deeper into the story, who needed to make a change? To answer that, let’s look at who Jesus has been telling stories about. Last week we heard about another tax collector and a Pharisee – a story told to people who were “complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance.” In a reversal of expectation, meant to shock those complacently pleased people, Jesus praised the tax collector instead of the Pharisee who bellowed, “Thank God I’m not like him.” In the very next story, people brought their children and infants to Jesus so that he might touch them. The disciples “sternly ordered them” to stay away but Jesus called out, “Don’t stop them. Let the little children come to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” Children weren’t just supposed to be quiet, they weren’t even supposed to be seen, but bring them front and center. Quite a reversal of expectations. Next, a “certain ruler” asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. After the man explained that he kept all the commandments, Jesus added one thing: “You must sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor.” As the man stood there looking sad, Jesus had sympathy and told the crowd, “It’s hard for those with wealth to enter the kingdom of God. Indeed, easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” That’s usually the only line we quote and it leaves people quite sad. But there’s an unexpected twist when Jesus adds, but “what is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” Then, Jesus told the Twelve their next stop was Jerusalem where he would be handed over, mocked, insulted, spat upon, flogged, killed and rise again on the third day. But, the disciples couldn't grasp what he was saying so they just kept walking. At this point they’re approaching Jericho where a blind man sat by the roadside begging. As Jesus was passing by, he cried out, “Son of David, have mercy on me,” but the crowd sternly ordered the man to be quiet. Jesus heard him cry out and healed him, but not by touching him. He simply told the man his faith had made him well. The man got up and began to follow Jesus. And now they’re entering Jericho. Jericho was a border city with lots of commerce flowing through. Lots of money to be made. Lots of inventory to tax. Lots of taxes to collect. And Zacchaeus was tax collector number one. You already know that people hated tax collectors because they were seen as collaborators with the occupying force of Rome. It didn’t really matter whether tax collectors were stealing or extorting, or whether those taxes were excessive or not. The issue was the money went to fund the people abusing you. And Zacchaeus was the best at being the worst. So, when Jesus looked up and asked to have dinner with Zacchaeus, how’d the crowd respond? Of course they grumbled. There’s only one more story before they get to Jerusalem and Jesus enters on a donkey while people wave palms and should Hosanna. A nobleman turned over his assets to ten slaves before going out of the country. Nine of them got busy investing and making more money. One was too frightened of the man to risk losing any of his money so he thought it was a good idea to bury it so he could give the entire amount back. When the nobleman returned he was very angry because the one with whom he had entrusted his treasure did nothing with it. I wanted to show how Zacchaeus is in a sequence of stories. Gospel writers like Luke always have a purpose. Luke is spinning a narrative to explain what the kingdom of God is like. Well, it’s like all these surprising people and all these unexpected twists.
The crowd grumbled at the idea that Jesus would go home with him. It wouldn’t be his first time, of course. Jesus had been routinely criticized for cavorting with gluttons and prostitutes and people about whom crowds would disapprove. "Sinners," they’re labeled. Ask religious people today for a list of who the sinners are. If you want to understand the Kingdom of God, know that Jesus will take that list and turn it right around to use as a list of special guests. Has anyone ever called you a sinner, someone who is “complacently pleased over their moral performance?” Or one of those “hate the sin, love the sinner,” kind of people? Recognize how lucky you are to be in the good company of the grumbled against. Jesus invited himself to dine with Zacchaeus. The crowd wasn’t just surprised, they were incensed, leaving Zacchaeus standing there in the middle. How did this happen to him? Maybe he climbed a tree because he wanted to see. Or maybe he woke up that day and said, “I want a new life. I want to change my ways.” Either way, was he really a sinner? Or was he just hated? That’s the twist. Jesus said nothing about any sin of Zacchaeus. But he had something to say to the crowd. “I want to go to the home of this man.” The crowd complained. It was then that Zacchaeus explained to Jesus, “I give half my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them four times as much.” Restitution, by the way, was only 20%, not the 400% Zacchaeus was paying. Understanding who Zacchaeus is and what this story is about hinges on one Greek word. I give half my possessions; I repay four times as much. OR, does Zacchaeus say, I will do that. I will give half. I will repay. That’s what I always thought this story is about. Zacchaeus is a sinner who repented and promised to make amends. But the thing is, the particular Greek word Luke chose to use here doesn’t have a future tense. It can’t be translated “I will.” Or at least, translators can’t agree on it. Two of the most respected Bible translations, the New Revised Standard Version and the Common English Bible, both at the center of UCC-approved scholarship, disagree. One says he does it and one says he will. But it matters which it is. I fall on the side that what matters is not what Zacchaeus promises to do. Zacchaeus is not the sinner in the story. It’s the crowd. The issue began because of who he is, who he represents, and that’s why crowd was upset with Jesus’ invitation to him. Shunned by his own community, Zacchaeus was lost. But like the lost coin, and the lost sheep, and the lost son, rejoice, Jesus said, because what was once lost is now found. He too is a son of Abraham. When you place Zacchaeus in its context with all the stories leading up to it, it’s another story that explains the Kingdom of God, another example of people who belong; men, women, and children dismissed, discarded, and debased; told to be quiet or be kept out of sight. People about whom those who call themselves “religious” would complain. To understand the true nature, the true scandal of God’s kingdom is to be incensed by who it includes. That’s where I want to belong. Those are my people. How about you? If you are one of the grumbled against, know that you are in good company. And know that if you have a list of people against whom you would grumble, now is the time to get right with them and join the party.
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