1
“A LIFE OF FAITHFULNESS” (10/31/10)SCRIPTURES:
2 Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12 & Luke 19: 1-10
KEY CONCEPTS:
Followers of Christ are called to be faithful through all the seasons of our lives – through the seasons of challenge, waiting, turning/hope.
GOSPEL READING – LUKE 19: 1-10:
The story of Zacchaeus is probably familiar to many of us. As children some of us may haveeven learned the little ditty –
Zacchaeus was a wee little man & a wee little man was he,He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see,And along came Jesus & looked up in the tree, And he said, “Zacchaeus, you come down,for I’m going to your house today, for I’m going to your house today”!
Imagine with me if you will…Here was a man of great wealth & small stature. Zacchaeus,we’ll call him Zack, had all the money in the world, but was still too short to be seen abovethe crowd
OR
to see over the crowd.According to tradition, Zack was a superintendent of customs, a chief tax collector in Jericho.Since the city of Jericho produced & exported balsam (pleasantly scented plant products), itwas a great customs center in Jesus’ day & probably accounted for much of Zack’s wealth.Zack had contracted with the Roman overlords for the contract to collect taxes or tolls fromhis neighbors. Zack was probably disliked & even despised by his neighbors. In addition tobeing short, he was also a social outcast. And even his ill-gotten wealth couldn’t buy himacceptance or a friend.Therefore, Zack was very interested in seeing this traveling preacher who had been rumoredto have healed the sick & befriended social outcasts & the marginalized. Maybe Zack over the years had learned to compensate for his shortness of stature so he arrived early &climbed up into a sycamore-fig tree in order to see Jesus as he passed through Jericho onhis way to Jerusalem.The crowd gathered & Jesus was seen in the distance walking toward the tree that held Zack.Jesus stopped, looked up at this hated tax collector & uttered words that not only shocked thetownspeople, but also set their gossipy tongues wagging: “Zacchaeus hurry & come down;for I must stay at your house today!” (v.5) Amidst the grumbling & gossiping (which both Zack& Jesus were used to), Zack jumped down & gladly welcomed Jesus into his home –probably sharing some of the finest wines & foods money could buy with Jesus.
AND
even though the passage doesn’t comment on any additional words of Jesus to Zack, itDOES record that by merely being in Jesus’ presence, Zack voluntarily donated 50% of hispossessions to the poor & repaid people at a rate of 4xs what he’d taken from them.
TRANSITION:
So what might some of the lessons be for us from the life of Zack & his interaction withJesus? Well, here are a few:
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO MAKE A CHANGE:
2Zacchaeus was an adult who had acquired a great deal of wealth; yet it wasn’t satisfied withhis life or himself. Climbing that tree - maybe out of curiosity or even desperation – changedhis life forever! Jesus is an equal opportunity Messiah. He’ll come to us at any time totransform & change our lives, circumstances & situations forever! Additionally, when we facedifficult & challenging circumstances, God is most able to reach us – when we up a figurativetree, looking for something or someone we don’t even know we need – some of us here thismorning are in a season of challenge & maybe even transition. Jesus is calling us all to himin order to positively change our lives & the lives of those around us.
ZACCHAEUS’ TRANSFORMATION WAS A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION, BUT NOT ALLWERE HAPPY:
Jesus had to have gotten weary of all the “negative nellies” that followed him around or methim whenever he entered into a town. You might know (or be a negative nelly). NegativeNellies can rarely see the good in any situation or person. Negative Nellies are envious & jealous of anyone & everyone – no matter what they have in their own lives. Negative nelly isthe twin sister of gossipy grumbler. Look at verse 7:
All who saw it (Jesus’ acceptance of Zack, calling him out of the tree & going to Zack’shouse) began to grumble & said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”
So, like who in Jericho was NOT a sinner? What the gossipy grumblers
REALLY
meant wasZack is an especially
BAD
sinner & he is unworthy. Jesus should have come to my house,not Zack’s house. Zack doesn’t deserve Jesus’ attention AND even though we’ve allcomplained for years about Zack’s greed, we don’t Jesus to actually change or transform him.Because who would we gossip about & hate on then?
ZACCHAEUS DIDN’T JUST TALK ABOUT CHANGING, HE OFFERED ACTUAL STEPS (&SIGNS) THAT HIS LIFE HAD BEEN CHANGED:
With only one day with Jesus, Zack changed so much that he gave 50% of his wealth to thepoor & then repaid people he’d defrauded through his government contract with the Romans.Don’t you wish the CEO’s of Halliburton, Goldman Sachs, Enron & Burney Madoff hadencountered Jesus & agreed to give 50% of their wealth to the poor while repaying people4xs what they’d lost?
When we’re truly following Christ, our lives will reflect that priority – our lives will offer faithful examples of knowing Jesus – through not only our words, but also our actions, prioritization of time, resources & giftedness.CLOSING:
In closing, it wasn’t until Zack expressed his commitment to “make amends” through hisactions – by giving away his money – that Jesus declared in verses 9-10:
Today, salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek & to save the lost.
TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
…& it’s always in season to walk with God throughour seasons of challenge, our season of grief & loss, our seasons of transition & even in thegood seasons of transformation, increased blessings & spiritual growth.
•
In all seasons: Love God & love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22: 37-40)
•
In all seasons: Treat people like you want to be treated (Matt. 7:12)
•
In all seasons: Do justice, love mercy & walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)
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