Jesus Simply Must Be With You - Lenten Wednesday Worship Week 2
Author: Pastor Carolyn Hetrick
February 28, 2024
It’s
not a stretch for us to cringe at the word “taxes.” It was no different in
Jesus day, but in areas ruled by the Roman Empire, contracts for collecting
taxes were farmed out to wealthy foreigners. The people of Palestine were
occupied by the Romans, whose taxes were not to help life in that town, they
went to another place altogether. The wealthy foreigners hired local people to
collect the taxes, such as Zacchaeus. He then relied on low-level
tax-gatherers, often those working off debts, to do the actual work of
collecting the money. The taxes might be tolls for using roads, sort of like
our Turnpike and some bridges. Or taxes on goods sold in markets like our sales
tax. Zacchaeus and the others were responsible for paying to the government the
money they had promised when they got their contract. But they were
generally free to collect “extra” from people in order to make a profit. So
opportunities for theft, fraud, and corruption abounded. No wonder tax
collectors are seen negatively in almost all literature of Jesus’ day, not just
this gospel.
Now,
I suspect you don’t get to be the CHIEF tax collector by being average. To get
the contract I think Zacchaeus had to have a reputation of being really good at
taking. Taking for the authorities and for himself. After all, if everyone else
is going to shun him for doing this job, he might as well treat himself well,
right? He isn’t called “sinner” just because he works for the forces that are
occupying their land. He is as separated from his people as you can be because
he has allowed the government and the money to be his gods. “Traitor” “Cheat” “Liar” are probably words they say. And they
would say someone like him should never see Jesus. Religious leaders lump “tax
collectors and other sinners” together to let you know that they are
unrepentant and morally bad. And people like Zacchaeus aren’t just
sinners they are villains.
When
the crowd senses a new leader in town they sure don’t imagine Zacchaeus in the
picture. In a surprising reversal, Jesus praises the villains. He praises them
for believing John the Baptist in the gospel of Matthew. And now we meet
Zacchaeus in the gospel of Luke as Jesus shows up.
As
he has done so often, Zacchaeus creates his own opportunity by outrunning and
outsmarting them. He surely wants to take in the attraction, even if Messiahs
come and Messiahs go. That tree is like balcony seating. But then, even though
no one else ever wants to even make eye contact with him, Jesus sees him. All
the way up there. Apart from the crowds, he sees Zacchaeus.
And
rather than ignore him, or give him a look of righteous disgust and a shake of
the head, Jesus does about the farthest thing from that possible. He calls out
to Zacchaeus- calls him by name! “Zacchaeus!” As
everyone wonders why… “Zacchaeus, hurry! Come down….Come to me.” No one ever
tells the tax collector to “come here.” That’s different.
“I
must stay at your house today.”
No
one invites themselves to Zacchaeus’ house. What is the rabbi doing?!
I
think there is one little word at the center of what Jesus says that is the
key. It is the word “Must.” Jesus must stay with Zacchaeus. It is absolutely necessary. For whom is it necessary you
ask? It is necessary for God.
This
little word coming out of Jesus’ mouth means it is absolutely necessary that
out of all these people, Jesus must call to, meet and share a table with
Zacchaeus. Accept hospitality from Zacchaeus- THE sinner. Crossing the
threshold is the beginning of repentance and healing. Zacchaeus, is “a son of
Abraham,” Jewish just like Jesus, but he has lost his way. Jesus must help him
back. While everyone else is grumbling, Jesus and Zacchaeus make their way to
his house. We know this because Jesus says eventually, “salvation has come to
this house.” Zacchaeus’ house.
Somewhere
between the tree and the threshold, Zacchaeus encounters the transforming love
of the God who simply must be with him. And he doesn’t just hear the words, he
believes in Jesus. He is so taken by the power of this love, he is transformed.
And his transformation sparks the healing of so many more. Because he says he
will now repay fourfold those whom he has defrauded, even if he inadvertently
defrauded them. Wow, but let’s not turn this into a Disney movie. Real lives
are being reshaped and restored.
You
see, our way of seeing Zacchaeus and others in this world, as only capable of
being villains or heroes, good or bad, with us or against us, perpetuates the
very things we most lament in the divisions of our society. And it’s no mistake
Satan encourages us to demonize one another. And there is no salvation in this
path.
Zacchaeus
is not a villain, nor does he become a hero throwing money into the air. He is
just like you and me-capable of doing good and of doing things that cause
breakdowns and separations. But like him we are always someone Jesus wants to
seek out and be with, restore and heal.
Chances
are there are others who we consign to dust that God wants to know glory.
Starting with you and with me. God thinks it is absolutely necessary to be with
you. What separations might that begin to erase? What ways of seeing might we
let Jesus restore? Wherever that may be, salvation, the kind we really need,
will be there too.
Gospel Text: Luke 19:1-10
1 He
entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man
was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the
crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him,
because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he
looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I
must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has
gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look,
half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded
anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ 9 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this
house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For
the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’
Copyright Rev. Carolyn K. Hetrick, 2024 All rights
reserved. May not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission.
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