IS THIS YOUR TIME?
Luke 19:44 “…you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
You may have seen the commercials about quitting smoking where the interviewee says, “I talked to my doctor and now I see quitting in a whole new way. It was my time to quit.” Similarly we have our times of revelation, whether it’s time to go back to school, take a new job, diet and exercise or other similar awakenings. The enemy to any of these kairos moments is procrastination which can prove harmless, rewarding or fatal, depending on the situation.
Is this your time…
-- For God to give you a new shape? That can apply to physical realities though that’s not where I’m going!
-- To move from ‘out of shape’ appetites to an explosive experience of God that will ‘rock’ your world?!
I caution you that you might have fun; you could start dancing before the mornings out! You may actually look forward to getting up tomorrow! Your time could lead to obsessive bouts of inexpressible joy and happiness where you can’t control outbursts of good deeds just for the fun of it!
Your story could change and be the result of an overriding theme outlined in Luke 19. It is the experience of Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, an image of a greater reality which is the triumphal entry of Christ into your life. Yes, I know you’re already a “Christian” but I’m suggesting you can experience something in your walk with God that you’ve been missing for a long time or maybe never yet experienced.
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus actually starts in Jericho with Zacchaeus. It never started on a donkey outside the city of Jerusalem. It began with Zacchaeus and likely involved many other people along the way. As we explore this fascinating story one of the first lessons we pick up on is the principle that
1. WE CHOOSE OUR DESTINY!
Sometimes we choose by not consciously making choices. The news a week ago told the story of a 62-year-old grandmother who was 51 kilometers over the speed limit hitting 131kms/hour in an 80 km/hour speed zone! The new laws in Canada for speeders over 50 km/hour are stiff. This grandmother’s case is being reviewed. Somehow the law thinks it’s not as dangerous for a 62 year-old as it is for a 20 year-old to be racing 50 kilometres over the speed limit! Somehow age makes a difference. Now this grandmother wasn’t intentionally racing through the zone. She was simply trying to pass a semi or tractor-trailer. It doesn’t change the fact however that she unconsciously chose the outcomes of breaking the law.
My dad told me on countless occasions, “look out for your health now. Don't do what I did.” He would tell you that he didn’t practice good health habits and health care thirty years ago and is now paying the price for those choices. He didn’t decide, “I’ll eat what I want and so what that my health will pay for it thirty years from now.”
Sometimes we unconsciously choose our destiny.
The matter of destiny is something we can’t afford to treat lightly. We must carefully evaluate what our destiny choices mean, both for today and for the future and ultimately eternity.
Jesus gives us two pictures of what choosing destiny looks like. There are only two choices. The first is through a man named Zacchaeus who serves as an example of embracing God’s personal visit – Luke 19:1-5…
Was Jesus passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem just to meet up with Zacchaeus? His purpose in Jerusalem seventeen miles from Jericho was to mount a donkey, a sign that he declared himself the King, coming in peace. It was a public statement pushing the envelope of his Messiah message, that he is God’s Son, where before he played it down. But now is the time for full exposure. On the way did he just happened to be passing through Jericho and just happen to pass the sycamore tree just at that moment when Zacchaeus was heading to the office and just happened to stop and watch the parade? I think not. I believe Jesus’ life and ministry was always intentional, and today’s divine appointment included Zacchaeus!
Zacchaeus is your Revenue Canada tax-agent but not typically so. He collected taxes from his Jewish counterparts to feed the Roman dictatorship. Not only that, he generated his own agenda as he levied excessive charges on top of the standard taxes for his profiteering addictions.
This opportunist is confronted with a life-altering opportunity. Little does he know it could be his only chance at change, that the call may only come once. Blind to that possibility, he responds! – (Read 19:6…)
The Triumphal Entry continues as Jesus moves from Zacchaeus’ home invasion to share a parable, an example of the other alternative which is rejecting God’s personal visit – Luke 19:11-27. The destiny choice in this parable is based on true historical facts. Herod the Great, who died in 4 B.C., had divided the Roman kingdom between Herod Antipas, Herod Philip and Archelaus. This division had to be approved by the Romans of course so Archelaus pressed Augustus to allow him to enter into his inheritance. The Jews, learning of this, sent 50 men to Rome to reject his kingship over them. Archelaus received his inheritance but without a kingship title. The people knew all this and this would quickly come to mind as Jesus told the parable. As Jesus highlights the Jews’ rejection of Archelaus as king, he prophetically offers the suggestion that Jerusalem will do the same with him. Jesus parallels this coming reality with an historical fact. In this parable Jesus highlights two of the king’s subjects receiving his message, embracing his purpose and as a result being rewarded and applauded by their king.
We have two options – Zacchaeus or the Subjects of the parable. We can hear the message, the invitation of Christ that he desires to come into our lives, representative of going to Zacchaeus’ house or we can turn the invitation away. What we need to understand with this first principle choosing our destiny is the second principle:
2. OUR CHOSEN DESTINY SHAPES OUR REALITY
Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus changed him! Luke 19:6-9…
We must appreciate the significance of Zacchaeus’ position and decision to make restitution as declared in the conditions he stated. The Law stated that if a thief voluntarily confessed a crime, he paid the value plus an additional one-fifth of the property’s value. If a thief was caught but the goods not recoverable, the thief paid double the value of the goods. If however a violent act of robbery occurred, the thief paid back fourfold the property’s value. This is Zacchaeus’ response. While the law required the value and one-fifth Zacchaeus volunteered the highest price possible. The indescribable experience of salvation issued in the unrestricted evidence of grace! Zacchaeus’ behaviour earned him a new ‘status’ – “son of Abraham”! (19:9) Being a Jew, he received a new status, not one of national credence but one that spoke of a personal encounter or relationship with God. To many North Americans, for our purposes, Canadians, consider themselves “Christian” while never understanding relationship with Jesus Christ as Messiah and Saviour. While many hold credence to the title, they are far from the experience. To truly be Christian is to experience life change that results in behaviour that has social conscious and is generous and caring toward people. You can never observe the ministry of Jesus without seeing his life being a message of social reform and justice, while declaring God at the center of his purpose and existence.
The alternative of course is the parable of Jesus concerning the king’s subjects. While we saw two who accepted and lived in response to the king and enjoyed the rich, full life it offered, we turn our attention to the other eight who rejected his message. These were put to death, executed in front of the king.
There are a natural chain of events that occur as a result of our choices. Our choice of destiny shapes us and our realities from the moment we choose. Adam and Eve, in Genesis 3, serve as an example. They shaped their destinies when they chose disobedience toward God and the forbidden fruit. The shaped reality was hard labour and painful child birth. We don’t have time to explore their story further and study how sometimes our chosen destiny often shapes realities for other people.
Or what of the interesting couple, Ananias and Sapphira, in Acts 4:32-5:11. The realities of changed lives was so powerful and real that people sold property and real estate, giving all the proceeds to the church to distribute to the needs of fellow believers. We’re told in this passage that the believers eliminated poverty – again, social awareness follows true conversion to Christianity. Among those wanting to participate were Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of property as others had done but one significant thing happened that wasn’t the norm. When they brought their money for the sold property to Peter for distribution they lied that the money represented the total proceeds while holding some of the money back. Now there was no requirement they surrender all the money. They could have given some and that would have been fine. But they lied. They shaped their destiny which led to Ananias falling down dead and as the disciples dragged his body to the graveyard and buried him, his wife, unaware of the events taking place, came in and lied to the same question Peter posed. She too died and was buried.
The destiny we choose always has outstanding, noticeable results, sometimes raising an eye of suspicion because random acts of generosity are not commonly given or our chosen destiny can have deadly results.
I wonder how Luke 19 would have been written differently if chosen destinies were reversed. For instance, if Zacchaeus decided he didn’t care to see Jesus, that he had to get to the office because he was already running late and missing a couple of appointments? He would have lived out his days collecting taxes, cheating people, and would have remained unhappy, lonely and isolated. If the eight subjects hadn’t rejected their king they’re reality would have been the same as the other two who embraced the king’s offer. They would have remained alive probably to a ripe old age.
Do you see why it’s critical we take stock of our lives and consciously evaluate our choices? Our choices shape us. They impact the people around us especially the people closest to us. Our choices have eternal, lasting outcomes some of which we experience in our lifetimes.
So, on to the big question…
3. IS THIS YOUR TIME TO CHANGE YOUR DESTINY?
As Jesus made a triumphal entry into Zacchaeus’ situation and illustrated the alternative through the parable – two different realities – he continued his journey 17 miles to Jerusalem where we enter the story at the point called the Triumphal Entry passage that was read moments ago. Let’s look at these verses again (verses 41-44…)
The Triumphal Entry represents Jesus’ offer to be our King and Saviour both as a nation and individually. The response is mixed. Our nation barely recognizes Christianity as a viable choice and in its efforts to be inclusive has all but denounced Christianity as an option. Sure there are politicians and leaders who are Christians and on a personal level carefully admit so. But as a recognized official, national position, Christianity doesn’t appear to be among the top five. Every national initiative issues in the Native American spiritual belief system while rejecting Christian’s rights to be heard. Rob Parker, a representative of Ottawa’s National House of Prayer, was cited in an article by Meghan Wood at the time 9-11. I quote, “Parker said he realized Canada was "becoming godless" when the thousands of Canadians who gathered in a show of solidarity on Parliament Hill following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were not allowed to use the name "God" or Jesus Christ" in their prayers.”
But this should be expected. Jesus was essentially saying to Jerusalem, as he prophetically warns us, “Instead of being like Zacchaeus, history will repeat itself and society will reject me as King. The destiny society chooses will shape our reality and it won’t be a pretty picture.” He is declaring, “I’m here to put you back where you belong, but you’re refusing me.”
Jesus puts this question to you and me and there’s no avoiding it. How are we responding, answering him? Jesus’ mission we're told in Luke 19:10 is to “Seek and save what was lost.” Lost doesn’t mean “damned or doomed,” says William Barclay. In the New Testament it simply means to save people in the wrong place. Barclay continues that “a thing is lost when it has got out of its own place into the wrong place.” Have you ever said to your kids (or you husband!), “put that back where it belongs, that’s not where that belongs; put it back in its place.”
It’s quite possible that you find yourself in a reality today that is the result of your chosen destiny whether consciously or otherwise. And, the place where you’re at is not ideal, fun or preferred. While we cannot do a lot with some of the consequences of those realities we can influence the direction for the future. We don’t have to continue making the same detrimental choices we’ve been making.
APPLICATION/WRAP UP
-- Doing ‘okay’ but some things out of place? Lost?
-- How does Jesus fit in?
-- Christ comes today to make a triumphal entry into your life and situations.
-- Which destiny will you choose?
-- Will you be interested enough to look his way?
