Do you ever feel overlooked? I think we’ve all been there a time or two. You put the extra hours and additional effort into a project at work to make that critical sale, only to hear your employer thank everyone except you. You clean the house, fill and empty the dishwasher, wash and fold the clothes, get dinner ready only to have your spouse walk through the door, plop down on the couch and ask, “So what did you do today?” You put the time into practicing, do well in the audition or tryout, only to hear that someone else was selected for that team or got that part in the play you wanted. Overlooked – being overlooked is not a real fun position to find yourself in, is it?
This morning we hear of a man who could have been very easily overlooked, but wasn’t. In fact, he was pointed out, he was chosen, he was blessed. The man’s name was Zacchaeus. And just as Zacchaeus was NOT overlooked, we are reminded that neither have we been overlooked. In fact, you too have been pointed out, you have been chosen, you have been blessed by the Lord Jesus himself.
The account of Zacchaeus might be a bit more familiar to you than some of the other people that we’ve heard about in our sermon series this morning. You might have heard of Zacchaeus’ story in Sunday school or Bible history class. Unfortunately, what is Zacchaeus usually most remembered for? He’s portably best known for his height, or his lack of height. But this morning, we’re going to see that there is so much more to learn from and remember about Zacchaeus.
We meet Zacchaeus towards the end of Jesus’ ministry and life. For the past three years, Jesus had been travelling with his disciples from town to town throughout Israel. He had been preaching and teaching the people. His message was simple and straight forward. He called people to recognize their sin and broken relationship with God. He called for them to repent of their sin and turn to the Lord for forgiveness of their sin. He assured them of the full forgiveness of their sin which he would secure for all by his sacrifice at the cross. Strengthened by God’s forgiveness, Jesus called them to turn from their sin and to follow God’s will for them. A simple but powerful message that was confirmed by the countless number of miracles that Jesus had performed. With every miracle, Jesus was demonstrating his divine power over nature, disease, disability and death itself. Jesus’ miracles were evidence that he was who claimed to be – the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
On the day that Zacchaeus met Jesus, Jesus was making his way into a city called Jericho. Jericho had been rebuilt just up the road from where it originally stood before it suddenly collapsed. Living in New Jericho was a man named Zacchaeus who the Bible tells us, “was a chief tax collector and was wealthy” (Luke 19:2). The title of “chief tax collector” is a word only found in the Bible to describe Zacchaeus. There were other tax collectors in the Bible like Jesus’ disciple Matthew, but only Zacchaeus is called a “chief tax collector.” This seems to indicate that Zacchaeus was in charge of and had other tax collectors working under him. This also seems to emphasize how very wealthy Zacchaeus would have been.
However, wealth did not make Zacchaeus popular. In Jesus’ day, tax collectors were some of the most hated of all people. The Jews hated tax collectors because they saw the Jewish tax collectors as traitors, working for the pagan Roman Empire which was occupying their land. The general population hated tax collectors because they were allowed to charge whatever amount they wanted just so long they submitted what was required by the Roman government. Therefore tax collectors were well-known for overcharging their fellow citizens so that they could take home more money for themselves. Simply put, as the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus was probably not the most popular person in Jericho.
Zacchaeus did hear about someone who was quite popular, at least among the general population. He heard about a man named Jesus. Jesus had already lived up to his miraculous reputation! When entering Jericho, Jesus had healed a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. Zacchaeus couldn’t wait to see Jesus! But those crowds. They just kept getting larger and larger! The Bible tells us, “He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd” (Luke 19:3). Frantically Zacchaeus starts looking around and that’s when he sees his opportunity. “So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way” (Luke 19:4).
You can almost picture it, can’t you? Jesus is walking down the road, surrounded by crowds of people asking him questions, making request of him, when suddenly he stops. The crowds stop with him. Jesus looks up and the crowds look up wondering what he sees. They notice a man in a tree. Is that Zacchaeus? How easily it would have been for Jesus to just keep on walking and overlook him, but not Jesus. Jesus looks up and calls out to him by name, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5).
Zacchaeus quickly climbs down the tree and leads Jesus to his house. But along the way the crowds being to whisper to one another, “What’s Jesus doing? Doesn’t he know who Zacchaeus is?” and pretty soon you start to repeatedly hear the same word, “Sinner.” Finally, someone says what too many others are thinking, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner” (Luke 19:7). In this context, the word “sinner” is a derogatory term that the Jews used to label anyone who they thought was not worthy of their time, their effort, or even their recognition. Why? Because of their occupation, their race, their gender, or their past. “Sinner” was the label you put on people who should be overlooked, ignored and looked down on.
Did you notice Zacchaeus’ reaction to the crowds? He doesn’t get angry or call down curses on them. He responds in gratefulness, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). Zacchaeus came to recognize what many of the religious elite failed to recognize – who Jesus was and what he meant for them. Jesus looks at Zacchaeus and announces, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9,10). As Jesus looked at Zacchaeus, he was again reminded of his purpose for coming into this world, to rescue people like Zacchaeus, people lost in sin, that they may share in his promised salvation. Overlooked? No way. Not by Jesus because God’s grace overlooks no one.
How about you? Do you ever find yourself overlooking someone, maybe not intentionally, but in some avoiding or looking down on someone because of what you know about their past, because of their culture, their religion, their social status, their income level, their struggle with addiction, their choice of life-styles, where they live, what they wear? Do we search or do we try to avoid because we feel uncomfortable, or are afraid of what others might think or say about us? It might be easy to say one thing as we sit among Christians safely in the confines of this church, but how about when you walk out those doors?
Jesus’ words, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) are powerful words. The word “seek” indicates intentionality. Jesus didn’t just come to see who he might happen upon or bump into. Jesus came to seek, to search out for, to go looking for. And why such a desperate and all-consuming search? Because he saw people that were lost. That word “lost” is not the kind of, “Oops. I missed my turn” lost. The word “lost” has at its root destruction and death. It’s the person lost at sea, attempting to tread the frigid waters while the waves come crashing over, gasping for air. If this person is not found, they will most certainly drown.
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost – the lost, that is us by nature. Jesus saw what had happened to us – how sin was sucking us under, drowning us in guilt and pulling us away for eternity from God. And so what did Jesus do? He left the glory of heaven and entered our world with an all-consuming love to search for us. He searched desperately for us because he knew that on our own we would be lost for eternity. He came into this world and reached down and grabbed ahold of us. He pulled us to the safety of his cross where he sacrificed his life, dying in our place, for our sins of pharisaical arrogance and sinful pride that has look over and looked down on others. For EVERY SIN and for EVERY SINNER Jesus sacrificed his life. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is now that powerful search light that announces to lost sinners, “Found! Forgiven! Safe with Jesus forever!” Overlooked? Not you! Because Jesus came to seek and to save you!
Dear friends, Jesus has called you through faith to be part of his search and rescue team. Just as in Jesus’ day there are many people who are lost, who are looking for a Savior, trying to tread the spiritual waters of various world religions, religions that leave people more confused and uncertain of their future, overwhelmed by guilt or lulled to sleep by apathy. Fellow search and rescue team members of Christ Jesus, show them the Light of Jesus, someone who overlooks no one, who came to rescue them with his searching and saving love. Let them hear how they have been found, they have been chosen, and they have been blessed by Jesus. Overlooked? Never! Because God’s grace overlooks no one. May God’s grace lead us to do the same. Amen.
