NO LITTLE PEOPLE (or PEOPLE EYES)
Luke 19:1-10
Intro: A young woman’s car stalled at a light. The light turned green. The car behind her actually had room to go around but didn’t. Instead the person in the car kept on honking the horn. After attempting to start the car, the young woman got out and went back to the honker’s car, and said, “Tell you what—you start my car, and I’ll sit back here and honk for you!”
We may say that everyone is equally valuable and important in God’s eyes – and therefore in ours – but we don’t always live like it, do we?
1. ZACCHAEUS’S STORY IS LIKE MANY
A. Zacchaeus’ Situation.
1. He was RICH, and REJECTED. He was the chief tax collector of the region; his headquarters were in Jericho. Tax collectors of the time were independent contractors working for the despised Roman occupiers. As long as they gave to Rome what Rome asked for, they could make their own profit by charging pretty much what they could get away with. Therefore, they were considered both notoriously corrupt (“tax collectors and sinners”), and were despised and rejected as conspirators with Rome.
2. The famous JESUS was coming through town. He was on the way to Jerusalem and his divine appointment with the cross. He was the great celebrity of the day. A great crowd formed. Zacchaeus, being a “wee, little man” couldn’t see. And not being popular with the people, the crowd didn’t make it any easier for him. (Cf. Randy Newman’s song, “Short People”.) But he kept trying. Why?
B. Zacchaeus’ Needs.
1. WEALTH was not enough. He had met his material goals; he was rich, but it was not enough. He had a restless HEART. Cf. Psalm 37:1-4, 16-17. “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee,” said Augustine. God withholds total happiness and security until we are His.
2. But there was a new HOPE in Jesus Christ. It seems that Zacchaeus felt like the Prodigal Son of Jesus’ parable. He was an outcast and he wanted to return home. But he couldn’t. He didn’t know how to get past his own failure, and the rejection of his own people. But Jesus was different. He hung out with “tax collectors and sinners”; a tax collector was even one of his close followers. Maybe there was hope for the little guy with Jesus.
C. Jesus and Zacchaeus.
So Zacchaeus climbed the tree, and as he was passing by Jesus saw him and …
1. Jesus called him by NAME. “Zacchaeus, come on down!” Whether it was a word of knowledge through the Spirit, or the prompting of Matthew (who may likely have known him), Zacchaeus heard his name being called by Jesus. It is powerful to know we are not anonymous to God, that we are just a number in the vastness of humanity. God knows our name, and cares for us individually.
ILLUS. A Michigan H.S. basketball coach told how his team had won the state
championship, and he was on top of the world. Named coach of the year, he felt like a hero—until an incident at the end of the school year brought him back to reality. His study hall students were filling out a class schedule for the fall when a shy girl who had sat in the back row all year timidly raised her hand. “Excuse me, sir,” she began. “There’s one thing I don’t know on this form. What’s your name?” Stunned, the coach realized that despite all his success, he had failed to reach that girl. She had been in his study hall for 8 months, yet he had never taken the time to even talk to her. (Source unknown)
2. Jesus had PEOPLE EYES. Jesus was always personal; one on one. There were no insignificant people to Jesus, no one who was not worth the effort. To Jesus there were no “little people.”
ILLUS. C. S. Lewis wrote in the Weight of Glory, “There are no ordinary people.”
“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.” (The Weight of Glory, pp. 14-15)
C. The Crowd’s Reaction (v. 7).
Zacchaeus was astounded, but the crowd was deeply upset and offended: “Doesn’t he know who he is? It is improper to just go and eat with this tax collector without him at least repenting; it is untraditional… It is like condoning sin! At least you should tell him the 4 Spiritual Laws first!” But Jesus didn’t do it that way. He surprised them with his grace! Too many Christians are like the crowd – they are gracious to their own, when they get their own way, but watch out if they don’t, or if you disagree with them.
2. LESSONS FOR US
A. Jesus Met Zacchaeus with Unconditional Love and Acceptance
1. Perfection was NOT required first. Not even repentance was required before Jesus fellowshipped with Zacchaeus. Jesus saw a searcher and said, “Come.”
Understand: there must be repentance to follow Christ Jesus. But what brings repentance? How do we best aid the Holy Spirit in His work? Not usually by throwing someone’s failures and sin into their face. Rather, by helping that person come into Jesus’ loving and holy presence.
2. Unconditional Love has a transforming POWER.
ILLUS. Fred Craddock was a seminary professor. Once, while he was lecturing at Yale
University, he told of going back one summer to Gatlinburg, TN, to take a short vacation with his wife. One night they found a quiet little restaurant where they looked forward to a private meal—just the two of them.
While they were waiting for their meal they noticed a distinguished looking white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting guests. Craddock whispered to his wife, “I hope he doesn’t come over here.” He didn’t want the man to intrude on their privacy.
But the man did come by his table. “Where you folks from?” he asked amicably.
“Oklahoma.”
“Splendid state, I hear, although I’ve never been there. What do you do for a living?”
I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips University.”
“Oh, so you teach preachers, do you. Well, I’ve got a story I want to tell you.” And with that he pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife. Dr. Craddock groaned inwardly. Oh, no, here comes another preacher story. It seems everyone has one.
The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Ben Hooper. I was born not far from here across the mountains. My mother wasn’t married when I was born so I had a hard time. When I started to school my classmates had a name for me, and it wasn’t a very nice name. I used to go off by myself at recess and during lunchtime because the taunts of my playmates cut so deeply.
“What was worse was going downtown on Saturday afternoon and feeling every eye burning a hole through you. They were all wondering just who my real father was.
“When I was about 12 years old a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in church on me. Just about the time I got to the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up and the preacher was looking right at me.
“’Who are you, son? Whose boy are you?’
“I felt the old weight come down on me. It was like a big, black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down.
“But as he looked down at me, studying my face, he began to smile a big smile of recognition. ‘Wait a minute,’ he said, ‘I know who you are. I see the family resemblance. You are a son of God.’
“With that he slapped me across the rump and said, ‘Boy, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.’”
The old man looked across the table at Fred Craddock and said, “That was the most important single sentence ever said to me.” With that he smiled, shook the hand of Craddock and his wife, and moved on to another table to greet old friends.
Suddenly, Fred Craddock remembered. On two occasions the people of Tennessee had elected an illegitimate to be their governor. His name was Ben Hooper.
(from Power for Living, by Jamie Buckingham, 1983)
B. There Are Many Broken People, But No Little People. [John 3:16-17.] People are searching – often for love, often in all the wrong places.
ILLUS. My own story: In Jr. High, having alcoholic parents heading for divorce, even though they were both life-long Christians. Fortunately, they both made it clear they loved me (though they could stand each other). But it left me wondering if lasting love and peace were possible. At our high school church summer camp after my freshman year, I found it was through a personal relationship with Jesus. He became a real person to me, whose call to be my Lord and Savior I responded to with joyful faith. And that brought me an assurance of love, a church family, eventually a loving Christian spouse, and an abiding peace in the unshakeable love and abounding grace of God through Jesus Christ. And it allowed me to relate to so many people from broken homes and alcoholic and drug addicted families.
Our brokenness can touch another’s brokenness and allow them to see Jesus in us. One beggar telling another beggar where to find food.
C. God Uses Broken People (and Broken Churches)
1. Healing them, and making them STRONGER than before.
2. In order to REACH OUT to other broken people. [Cf. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5]
ILLUS. My Dad was in A.A. some 25 years until his death. He was a re-born man. He reached so many people for Jesus after he found his sobriety through A.A. and a new living, daily faith in Jesus Christ. And he reached people I could never have reached, because he had walked where they were walking.
Conclusion: Through the Holy Spirit, Christ is being formed in us (Gal. 4:19). If we rely on him, he will gives spiritual eyes to see people as he did – with unconditional love and acceptance. He is the one who is growing the fruit of the Spirit in us, the first of which is love. The love of God – so strongly seen in Jesus, and described in 1 Corinthians 13 – is what will draw people to Jesus and let them know we truly are his disciples.
If you are searching this day as Zacchaeus was, then ask Christ to enter and take control of your life. He will – with unconditional love. [Lead in a prayer for salvation.]
If you have already found wholeness and new life in Christ, then ask the Lord to improve your “People Eyesight.” Remember, there are no little people in the Lord’s eyes; nor should there be in ours. Amen.
