Luke 19.1-10

grace. gratitude. generosity.

A few weeks ago I was in Jericho where sycamore trees still grow; the kind Zacheus climbed so long ago. The sycamores are not very tall and are filled with branches which makes them easy to climb. Our team was in Jericho to meet with Bassem Eid, a Palestinian and the Director of the Independent Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, whose purpose is to monitor and report human rights abuses by Palestinians. The most recent report of his agency, which is available on the web, is a scathing narrative of abuse that is virtually unknown in the West. Consequently, Bassem is not a popular person among his own people and especially the Hamas leadership who consider him a collaborator with the enemy for speaking truthfully, particularly about the intimidation and persecution of Christians in the Gaza strip. It is a story that deserves to be told.

In all honesty, there is nothing in Bassem Eid’s story that is connected to the ancient story of Zacheus other than the town, the trees and a man unpopular among his own people. I just couldn’t keep Zacheus out of my imagination as I sat in the same town listening to a truth-teller who may be nearing the status of outcast among his people.

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Who is Zacheus?

•Is he a cartoon figure, the subject of cute songs: Zacheus was a wee little man and wee little man was he, he climbed up in a sycamore tree for to see what he could see.

•Is he a crook who repents of his wicked ways and gave back the money that rightfully belong to others as sign of his faithful repentance.

•Or is he only a metaphorical prop in a cautionary moral tale for the corrupt nations of the West that have stolen the properties of the poor and should heed its implications by releasing the debts of all developing countries?

I don’t find any of these readings particularly satisfying or convincing. Conventional wisdom will only get you so far and that is never far enough.

What the text says is that Zacheus was a rich man, who worked for the Roman government collecting taxes. The chief tax collector was something like an entrepreneur hired by the government to collect monies required for tolls, customs and tariffs. He supervised persons who would do the actual collecting with the hope that there may be a profit in the end. The system, of course, was open to bribery, corruption and abuse. No surprise. Neither is it surprising that the tax collectors, and especially the chief ones, were despised among their own people; outcasts.

Did your ears perk up at that word outcasts? Luke shows us again why Jesus is known as the friend of tax collectors and sinners. In case you are wondering, this is the sixth encounter that Jesus has with outcasts – tax collectors being the supreme example – joining them for a meal and conversation. Remember the tax collector who went away justified because the humble shall be exalted? And earlier Luke reminds us, all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to Jesus to listen to him. And the religious leaders were grumbling among themselves saying, this man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

1. The text gives no evidence that Zacheus was corrupt or evil. He worked for the government in a job that was open to abuse and corruption and in that job he became a wealth man. As such he was an outcast, lonely and isolated in his own community. Oh, and one more thing, he was curious about Jesus. Not mildly curious, but serious curious; curious enough to climb up a sycamore tree see him when he came to town. Now that’s a true seeker.

How curious are you about Jesus? What risks will you take to listen to him?

What I notice is that Zacheus didn’t let his status – despised – or his wealth – rich – keep him from following his growing desire to see Jesus. Status and wealth are so often the very things that hold us captive, by the fear of losing both. I wonder if this fear is the very thing that keeps you and me from taking serious steps in the faith?

Do you think captivity to status and wealth can keep you from paying attention to God’s call on your life? I do. On the other hand, getting ourselves in a position to pay attention to Jesus is the necessary action that open our lives to what is to come. Without that we remain captive to fear and without faith.

Zacheus let neither status nor wealth keep him from paying attention to Jesus.

2. Isn’t it remarkable how Jesus always finds the outsider and welcomes him to the table? Of all the places for a despised, rich man to be, sitting in a tree is not one of them. But Jesus finds him and invites himself to his home for dinner. How politically incorrect is that? He could rebuke him or just ignore him, instead Jesus sits at table with him. We have a word for Jesus’ gesture to Zacheus: Grace. It means God’s undeserved favor toward us.

Notice what happens after Jesus invites himself into Zacheus’ life. The text says his home – but we know it’s his very life that is being invaded, not his home.

The text says two things happen in Zacheus. Gratitude and Generosity.

Zacheus is grateful because he is accepted, truly accepted by Jesus, the One whom he sought so deeply that he would risk his status and his wealth to climb a tree to see. He followed his desire and Jesus found him. This is grace – to be accepted by God who you are and as you are, right now.

Do you know that you are accepted by God? Is this grace real for you today? Nothing is more important than this.

Generosity is the second thing that happened and only as a response to grace. God’s startling gracious favor so permeated the whole of his life, that it had to include his relationships with his neighbors particularly the poor. He gave away half his wealth to help the poor and promised to make good if he had defrauded anyone in his life.

Some say his generosity is a sign of his repentance. I say generosity is a response to Grace. Zacheus is accepted and as a consequence of this grace, he is filled with gratitude. He becomes a generous man. Grace does this to people. It makes them grateful and generous. It really is amazing. Jesus called it salvation and declared it had come to Zacheus home that very day.

Grace. Gratitude. Generosity. These are the joyous signs of God’s salvation among us. Today, we dedicate our financial pledges to support the ministry of our congregation. I hope that your generosity will be a measure of your gratitude for God’s grace in your life.

Amen.