23 Pentecost, Proper 26 (Year C)
October 31, 2010
St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church
[I'm afraid something will be lost in the print version, since you won't get to see me run and climb my makeshift tree in the middle of the sermon, but here goes...]
You’ve heard of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, the 4 stages of cancer, the 5 stages of grief. Well, today in Luke’s Gospel we get the 5 stages of Being Loved by God, courtesy of Zacchaeus.
Stage 1 – We are who we are
We aren’t given too many details about Zacchaeus, but it’s enough. Enough to know quite a bit about him, and even more about what everyone must have thought about him. He’s exceedingly rich, which from the Gospel of Luke seems almost enough in itself for him to be doomed. Remember a few weeks ago when we we’ve heard Jesus’ story about the rich man in the fires of hell who wanted Lazarus to come give him a drink of water? Things do not usually go well for the rich in Luke’s Gospel. Plus, Zacchaeus is also a chief tax collector. In those days, tax collectors would purchase the right to collect taxes for the Roman Empire and then make a profit by charging people above what they actually owed. So they not only colluded with the Roman oppressors but they also took advantage of the Jewish people. So tax collectors were despised by fellow Jews and shunned as outcasts.
Zacchaeus, in other words, is not a paragon of virtue or spirituality. He is who he is, just like the rest of us.
Stage 2 – We observe from our hiding place
Like I said, Zacchaeus was not a paragon of virtue or spirituality, but he did have some interest in this Jesus character. He had heard enough snippets about the strange stories and promises that he wanted to observe the shaggy preacher for himself. He was too short to see anything from the back of the crowd, and he wasn’t about to risk getting up front and mixing with the crowd around Jesus. And so he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree along the route where Jesus would pass.
His plan was only to observe. He’d bring his popcorn and enjoy the show. He was pretty proud of himself for coming up with a hiding place that was a nice safe distance away yet still had a view.
Truth be told, I’d wager that most of us find ourselves in a similar place a lot of the time. We have a longing that we can’t even name to see this God that we hear so much about, but we aren’t so sure we’re ready to come face to face.
Stage 3 – Jesus finds us
Well, Zacchaeus might have planned to stay hidden in the foliage and watch from afar, but Jesus doesn’t let him get away with that. No sirree. Jesus sticks his head up there in the leaves and makes eye contact. He calls Zacchaeus by name, and invites himself over for dinner. Ms. Manners wouldn’t approve one bit. “I must stay at your house today,” says Jesus. And the Greek word for “must” is the one Luke uses throughout the Gospel to give the sense of divine necessity. This is no idle coincidental encounter we’re witnessing. You get the sense that Jesus knew exactly what Zacchaeus was up to and planned his route to go by that sycamore tree accordingly. And he doesn’t condition his invitation on anything. He wants to dine with Zacchaeus, warts and all.
Jesus finds us in our hiding places. He calls out to us and invites us down, just as we are. And from a human perspective, it’s just as much a scandal now as it was for the crowd witnessing Jesus welcoming the scoundrel Zacchaeus then. But even when we’re out-in-the-open – exposed , Jesus still doesn’t see us the way the world sees us. Or, sometimes even more of a relief, Jesus doesn’t see us the way we see ourselves.
Stage 4 – We realize we are found
I bet Zaccheaus was shocked to be seen up there in that tree. Shocked to be addressed personally by Jesus -- to be accepted and called by Jesus. For Zacchaeus this was the moment of truth. Would he stay up in that tree, hidden and safe? Plenty of people do. And it would have been pretty easy. In fact, it would have been a lot less risky than pushing aside the branches hiding him from view and allowing Jesus to throw his life into a tailspin.
Stage 5 – Our life changes
When Zacchaeus heard Jesus talking to him, he practically fell out of the tree with enthusiasm. And when Zacchaeus jumped down from his hiding place, his whole perspective changed. He was no longer able to watch from his distant perch. He was no longer anonymous. He was right there on the ground with Jesus. And he no sooner hit the ground than he turned his life around. He gave half of his possessions to the poor and repaid four times what he had been defrauding the people around him. And he did it all joyfully! There was something about his encounter with Jesus that changed the way Zacchaeus saw the world. The way he saw himself and the people around him. He could no longer just return to his old patterns and habits. Jesus didn’t just come into Zacchaeus’ home – he came into his heart.
So Jesus is coming to town! You can climb a tree and watch what he is up to. But beware! When you least expect it, he’ll stop beneath your tree and invite you down. And then anything might happen….
October 31, 2010
St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church
[I'm afraid something will be lost in the print version, since you won't get to see me run and climb my makeshift tree in the middle of the sermon, but here goes...]
You’ve heard of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, the 4 stages of cancer, the 5 stages of grief. Well, today in Luke’s Gospel we get the 5 stages of Being Loved by God, courtesy of Zacchaeus.
Stage 1 – We are who we are
We aren’t given too many details about Zacchaeus, but it’s enough. Enough to know quite a bit about him, and even more about what everyone must have thought about him. He’s exceedingly rich, which from the Gospel of Luke seems almost enough in itself for him to be doomed. Remember a few weeks ago when we we’ve heard Jesus’ story about the rich man in the fires of hell who wanted Lazarus to come give him a drink of water? Things do not usually go well for the rich in Luke’s Gospel. Plus, Zacchaeus is also a chief tax collector. In those days, tax collectors would purchase the right to collect taxes for the Roman Empire and then make a profit by charging people above what they actually owed. So they not only colluded with the Roman oppressors but they also took advantage of the Jewish people. So tax collectors were despised by fellow Jews and shunned as outcasts.
Zacchaeus, in other words, is not a paragon of virtue or spirituality. He is who he is, just like the rest of us.
Stage 2 – We observe from our hiding place
Like I said, Zacchaeus was not a paragon of virtue or spirituality, but he did have some interest in this Jesus character. He had heard enough snippets about the strange stories and promises that he wanted to observe the shaggy preacher for himself. He was too short to see anything from the back of the crowd, and he wasn’t about to risk getting up front and mixing with the crowd around Jesus. And so he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree along the route where Jesus would pass.
His plan was only to observe. He’d bring his popcorn and enjoy the show. He was pretty proud of himself for coming up with a hiding place that was a nice safe distance away yet still had a view.
Truth be told, I’d wager that most of us find ourselves in a similar place a lot of the time. We have a longing that we can’t even name to see this God that we hear so much about, but we aren’t so sure we’re ready to come face to face.
Stage 3 – Jesus finds us
Well, Zacchaeus might have planned to stay hidden in the foliage and watch from afar, but Jesus doesn’t let him get away with that. No sirree. Jesus sticks his head up there in the leaves and makes eye contact. He calls Zacchaeus by name, and invites himself over for dinner. Ms. Manners wouldn’t approve one bit. “I must stay at your house today,” says Jesus. And the Greek word for “must” is the one Luke uses throughout the Gospel to give the sense of divine necessity. This is no idle coincidental encounter we’re witnessing. You get the sense that Jesus knew exactly what Zacchaeus was up to and planned his route to go by that sycamore tree accordingly. And he doesn’t condition his invitation on anything. He wants to dine with Zacchaeus, warts and all.
Jesus finds us in our hiding places. He calls out to us and invites us down, just as we are. And from a human perspective, it’s just as much a scandal now as it was for the crowd witnessing Jesus welcoming the scoundrel Zacchaeus then. But even when we’re out-in-the-open – exposed , Jesus still doesn’t see us the way the world sees us. Or, sometimes even more of a relief, Jesus doesn’t see us the way we see ourselves.
Stage 4 – We realize we are found
I bet Zaccheaus was shocked to be seen up there in that tree. Shocked to be addressed personally by Jesus -- to be accepted and called by Jesus. For Zacchaeus this was the moment of truth. Would he stay up in that tree, hidden and safe? Plenty of people do. And it would have been pretty easy. In fact, it would have been a lot less risky than pushing aside the branches hiding him from view and allowing Jesus to throw his life into a tailspin.
Stage 5 – Our life changes
When Zacchaeus heard Jesus talking to him, he practically fell out of the tree with enthusiasm. And when Zacchaeus jumped down from his hiding place, his whole perspective changed. He was no longer able to watch from his distant perch. He was no longer anonymous. He was right there on the ground with Jesus. And he no sooner hit the ground than he turned his life around. He gave half of his possessions to the poor and repaid four times what he had been defrauding the people around him. And he did it all joyfully! There was something about his encounter with Jesus that changed the way Zacchaeus saw the world. The way he saw himself and the people around him. He could no longer just return to his old patterns and habits. Jesus didn’t just come into Zacchaeus’ home – he came into his heart.
So Jesus is coming to town! You can climb a tree and watch what he is up to. But beware! When you least expect it, he’ll stop beneath your tree and invite you down. And then anything might happen….
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