(Sermon excerpt from September 20, 2024 on Luke 19:1-10, the Story of Zacchaeus)
Zacchaeus was lost. He and his profession were looked down upon, and with good reason. Tax collectors extorted people for money on behalf of an occupying power, the Roman Empire. He was seen, by the masses, by his own people, as a collaborator with their enemy. And Zacchaeus, alienated by the community, was lost. He felt it, knew it, was consumed by it.
But he’d heard a rumor, stories carried with the wind, of this man...a prophet named Jesus, who was different. The religious leaders said this man sat down and ate with sinners and outcasts. He went to the poor, the sick, and the widows. There was even word that one of Jesus’ followers had been just like him – a tax collector. And all the other disciples, who had been hand-picked by Jesus himself, were a bunch of a rag-tag nobodies.
Yet somehow they were worthy enough to travel with Jesus, watching him heal people, cast out demons, and tell people all about themselves. This Jesus shared with the lost, and the lonely, and those cast aside this … message … a message Zacchaeus could hardly believe, a message he had all but given up on.
“You are loved. God loves you. God cares about your well-being, and God is with you…” With this message, somehow Jesus did something to others; He promised forgiveness; He promised new life. But these promises, how could they be for Zacchaeus? It was too late for him.
But the word of Jesus nearing town, whispered in the wind and spoken about in the streets, stirred his heart, kindling something he didn’t know was possible any more … hope. Hope for something more, something in those words Jesus preached with his life.
If only Zacchaeus could see him. Maybe … maybe … something could happen.
Gathering his courage, he sped into the streets, following the noise and excitement of the crowds. When he knew he’d come near, he found himself blocked, cut off, stopped in his tracks. No matter how hard he tried he could not get to the front of the crowd where he might see Jesus. Whether he was physically short or the community that looked down upon him prevented him from going to the front, he could not make his way through.
His only hope was a tree that stood nearby. But grown adults didn’t climb trees, that was for children. But he didn’t care. He had to see Jesus. He had to see if the stories were real. He desperately needed to know. His heart ached so deeply for the message to be true. So, limb by limb, humiliatingly but determinedly, he climbed. He climbed and he climbed until he was finally high enough to see over the crowd.
And as he peered down the road, he noticed him. Jesus. Really, not much to look at. An ordinary guy, not very tall, not particularly handsome, not built like a warrior … just … a guy. He would have missed him, but all those people were following him. He had to be the one. Jesus kept getting closer and closer … and the rhythm of Zacchaeus’ heart grew faster and faster. And all of a sudden Jesus veered off the road. And he moved … straight … to … the … tree. But not only that, he only had eyes for the tax collector. As Jesus came to a stop just below Zaccheaus he said,
“Zacchaeus, come down already … I’m on my way to your house.”
And something universe-shattering and yet all too imperceptible happened in that moment. The cosmos cried out with praise, the host of God wept with joy, and God smiled warmly as God’s son truly shared the nature of who God is. Creation reverberated with resounding ‘rightness’ as the thunderous bells of grace tolled their melodic notes of freedom and life.
Few knew the import of the moment. But Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus felt the chains around his heart shatter. He felt the fog of his despair chased away with the gale of Jesus-breathed words. And he took his first breath of new life; he breathed in the grace of God, and he felt his whole being transform. He was not the same. For he knew now that he was loved. He was a child of God, valuable, precious, and indispensable. He was Zacchaeus, but Zacchaeus as he was always meant to be.
And the heavens rejoiced, and the cosmos quaked, and Jesus … Jesus was the key.
And Zaccheus’ whole being burst open with joy and gratitude. He couldn’t give enough back. To all he had defrauded he gave back many times over. The money didn’t matter anymore for he had experienced the abundance of God in Jesus Christ.
My friends, this story is not just Zacchaeus’ story. This is the story of God’s love for you, and me, and for all of humanity. God who sees us, knows us, loves us, and wants nothing more than to be with and for us in this life and in the life to come. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, there is nothing in all of creation that can ever separate us from this love, the love of God in Jesus Christ.
When we see it, experience it, and embody it, we cannot help but want to respond in gratitude and joy, giving all that we are to share the news we’ve been given, news that we share with our words and deeds.
With Grace & Peace,
Pastor Adam
