How many of us remember learning the story of Zacchaeus in song? I remember learning a little song in Vacation Bible Story, about Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore tree. While it is a nice song that paints a wonderful image of Jesus reaching out to someone, is there more to the story?
What do we know about Zacchaeus? We know he was a tax collector and he was small in stature. We also know he was not liked by people in his community. In fact he was pretty much despised and shunned by most people there. We can even suspect they were spreading all sorts of rumors around about him.
Tax collectors had nasty reputations for overcharging for taxes. For not only did they collect taxes for the Roman Empire, they also collected taxes for the province of Palestine, and most importantly tax collectors received a commission from their collections. So more often than not the collectors skimmed more off the top than they were supposed to take. Because of these actions all tax collectors became suspect as criminals to the Jewish people.
Today there are many people who are treated the same way that Zacchaeus must have been. People who are pushed out to the edges of society. People who because of what they do or who they are, may appear to be are shunned by all. People who become viewed as traitors to their own kind.
For example, a number of years ago the workers at the meat packing plant in Ottumwa, Iowa went on strike. The plant, in order to keep running, was forced to hire replacement workers. Some of the other workers didn’t want to strike so they crossed the picket lines as well. These replacement workers and others were friends and neighbors of the strikers. Many of them lost friendships over the strike, but for them it was a matter of feeding their families.
For years after the strike, those workers endured being shunned by their fellow workers. Why? Because, they viewed them as traitors, to the “cause”. They viewed them as cheats and thieves because they chose to work rather than standing by them.
In the Jewish community of Jesus’ time they viewed tax collectors as so low, it was believed that they couldn’t be forgiven for their sins. Basically because their work was sinful in nature this is why when Jesus told Zacchaeus he was coming his house. This was why the crowd responded in the way it did. They all complained when they saw what was happening. "He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house," they said. (Luke 19:7 NJB).
Why was this such a shock? Well for one many in their midst recognized Jesus as a rabbi. Some were probably on the fence to accepting him to be the “Holy One” or Messiah, and he yet again was testing their image as to what a messiah should be. He again was causing them to stretch their preconceived notions.
For some would have considered this another public relations disaster. How is he ever going to gain favor with the religious leaders if he continues to mingle with undesirables?
However, the religious leaders could not speak out against what he was doing. Because what he was doing is exactly what they were supposed to be doing. Remember many of the religious leaders had become so caught up in their position and had perverted their interpretation of the Law of God that they were unable to see beyond the limits they placed on themselves.
However what Jesus saw was a man who was searching to know God. What Jesus could see in Zacchaeus was a man who was willing to climb above the crowd to seek out healing and forgiveness.
Jesus called out to Zacchaeus; he let him know that he was no longer alone, that God was coming to his house. He let Zacchaeus know that he was forgiven and justified by his faith.
Have you ever noticed that Jesus invites him self over to Zacchaeus’? Listen to what he tells him in verse 5 of Luke 19. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, "Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today." (Luke 19:5 NJB)
Come down. Hurry because I am to stay at your house today. How about that, and Zacchaeus doesn’t make any excuses. He doesn’t say well err my house isn’t clean or I haven’t been to the grocery store. He just happily invites him over.
People do this with Jesus don’t they? Jesus offers them many opportunities to invite Him in. However, each time they find a new excuse, as to why He cannot come on over.
Many times they are more like Zacchaeus than they like to admit. They may think that they have lead such horrible lives, in the eyes of others. That they aren’t worthy of letting God into their lives. Often times they feel that God wouldn’t want them. They convince themselves through such thoughts as;
“God only wants good people. I am not religious. It’s too late for me; I have done way too many things.” I suppose that Zacchaeus felt the same way. I suppose he climbed that tree not just because he wanted to see Jesus, but maybe he thought he wouldn’t be noticed up there. This we may never know.
What we do know is Jesus noticed him, Jesus called to him, and Jesus let him know that he was saved. He let him know because of his faith and his willingness to sacrifice, Zacchaeus was made new.
Jesus sought him out of the crowd, because he knew Zacchaeus was lost. He knew that Zacchaeus needed to know that he could receive forgiveness.
To me Zacchaeus represents all those people in the world we love to hate. Those people it is easier to demonize because of their status in life, or their job, or the countless other reasons we can come up with to make ourselves appear better than everyone else.
No, Zacchaeus wasn’t perfect he had his faults. However, most of the people in the area were jealous of him. Because he got wealthy off of what they made. Because of that he was demonized as a thief.
The Jews are not alone, we all do that. Think of all the racial slurs that exist. Think of the nasty little names some people have for law enforcement, or for people who are poor. Some times people where those names as a badge of honor. But really we know better.
Jesus is reaching out to them as well. Jesus has called us to reach out to them. When we received Christ into our lives, when we accepted our baptism, or our confirmation, we accepted the commission Jesus gave us to go out and seek the Zacchaeus’ of this world.
Jesus has still come to seek and to save what was lost, only now we are the ones have been given the task to invite ourselves into their lives. We have been given the task to say, “I want to tell you something, you are loved and you are not alone in this world.”
Jesus has called us to seek out those people and bring them to the banquet table. We have been commissioned to bring the Zacchaeus’ in the word the Good News. The news that says, He has come to save you. He has come because God has heard your heart. God has come and wants to be a part of your house.
As a child of God you have come to tell them that they do count. They are loved by God and that they wanted in the household of God. They do matter to the Lord Almighty.
This also requires us to push aside our view from the crowd. It requires us to go beyond saying “He’s going to the house of that sinner? To saying “He is going to the house of some one who needs Him, Praise the Lord!!”
It requires us to invite those into our midst that we may otherwise be uncomfortable with. That is one of the wonderful things about God, just when we find ourselves settled in and comfortable that is when God invites us into another life. We find ourselves being used to reach out the Zacchaeus’ of the world.
In the end the Zacchaeus’ of the world are searching for God to lessen their pain and guilt. The Zacchaeus’ of the world are waiting for someone to invite them to be apart of a community. They want to know that there is a God who loves them despite what they may have done in their lives. They want a God who will wipe away all of their wrongdoings and allowing them to begin anew.
This is what we all want isn’t it? We all like to belong. We all want the chance to start over. We all want to God invite his self into our lives. We all want to share our meal with Him.
Today we are going to symbolically do that as we come to table for the Lord’s Supper. Today we are going to come before God, and like Zacchaeus, we are going to declare to God and our friends that we have sinned, and we ask for forgiveness. Moreover as we declare our sins we are reassured that because Jesus died for our sins long before we were born. We have already been forgiven.
Why? Because God sought us out long ago, he has already said to us. Come down from that sycamore tree, for today I am coming to your house. All we had to do was go home and prepare our hearts to let Jesus into our hearts.
Before we come to the table today, I want us all to think of all the Zacchaeus’ we have met in our lives. I ask that you say a prayer for them. Ask God to bring the Holy Spirit into their lives.
Then after we leave here today, don’t forget them. In fact, should God present you the opportunity, seek out those who are searching. Allow yourselves to be a witness for those who want to belong. Allow the Holy Spirit to use you to let them know that God wants them, and God loves them.
Most importantly, share with them the knowledge that they have been forgiven for all they have done. That they have been renewed. They need to be prepared to receive God, because he has sought them out and must stay at their house.
Jesus died to redeem us all, the weak, the strong, the rich, the poor, the wise and the foolish. We are all precious in His sight. Therefore, we should all in turn live our lives to serve the Lord in all ways. Amen.
