Use these lyrics to lead you into prayers praising God for who he is:
King of kings, majesty, God of heaven living in me,
gentle Saviour, closest friend, strong deliverer, beginning and end,
all within me falls at your throne.
Your majesty, I can but bow. I lay my all before you now.
In royal robes I don't deserve I live to serve your majesty.
Jarrod Cooper © 1996 Jarrod Cooper
Read: Luke 19: 1-10
Many of us are very familiar with the account of these events. We first heard them as children – a funny story about a little man who couldn’t see over the bigger people, so he climbed a tree – and as children we could easily relate to not being able to see what was going on and we were pleased that Jesus didn’t overlook the little person. But this encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus has very grown-up implications for us as followers of Jesus. It has a message which we might find hard to accept.
Let’s recognise who Zacchaeus really was. Our bible reading told us he was ‘Chief tax collector’ and while there are people today whose job title is tax collector, their job description is as far away from Zacchaeus’ way of life as it is possible to get. Firstly, we need to remember that he was working for those who had invaded the country – the Romans – so he was reviled by his neighbours for doing that, for working with the enemy. Like today, the rules about taxes were complicated and so tax collectors such as Zacchaeus often made sure that people paid more tax than the Romans would be expecting to receive - and so tax collectors became rich.
Now because Jesus shows interest in this man, it is easy for us to picture Zacchaeus as a loveable rogue – Arthur Dailey or Del-boy, but it is much more likely that Zacchaeus was a mean-spirited thug. Today he might be a loan-shark, a slum landlord or one of those who con-men who tell vulnerable people they need repairs to their roof. There would be something very nasty about Zacchaeus, something intimidating.
Try to imagine how you would feel – Jesus doesn’t come to your home but chooses instead to go to the home of the most disreputable person in the area. The people of Jericho would be thinking that the stories they heard about Jesus being a wonderful judge of character and being able to see right into people’s lives - were just that – stories. People would be wondering if they ought to go and tell Jesus what sort of person Zacchaeus is, but this is where the point of today’s bible story lies.
Jesus saw Zacchaeus in a different way to how everyone else saw him. It wasn't that the rest of Jericho had got Zacchaeus all wrong – they were right about him being disreputable and obnoxious and they were also right about the reputation Jesus had for having insight into people’s lives - Jesus did see right into Zacchaeus’ life. Jesus saw his heart – saw the ‘real’ Zacchaeus - yes, he saw the corrupt thief but Jesus also saw more than that – Jesus saw all the events which had led up to Zacchaeus becoming this thug and he saw all that Zacchaeus could be / should be
Jesus thought that it was more important for Zacchaeus to experience God’s love, compassion and care, than worrying about his own reputation.
Jesus didn’t accuse Zacchaeus, he just showed love and compassion, which was probably a very rare experience for Zacchaeus, and through showing Zacchaeus such friendliness he touches the deep core of Zacchaeus and his life is transformed.
Here is the challenge for each of us from today’s bible reading. Are we prepared to put our reputation on the line for the sake of the gospel? Are we prepared to be seen associating with the ‘wrong’ sort of person for the sake of the gospel? Are we prepared to have on-lookers perhaps jump to the wrong conclusion about our actions so that we can show something of God’s love and salvation to those who have no knowledge of it?
There were a number of other occasions recorded in the gospels where people began to mutter about the company Jesus kept, yet Jesus continued to socialise with those who had dubious reputations. Jesus came to be Saviour of everyone. His death wasn’t just for the type of sins we confess to having committed. Jesus came to lay down his life as payment for every sin. There aren’t different levels of sin, but all sin separates us from God. The Good News of Jesus Christ is that God’s love, mercy and grace – has given us a Saviour and there is no sin which hasn’t been paid for through Jesus’ shed blood. This is the magnificence of God’s love, that it embraces all who will receive it.
Use the words of this hymn to lead you into prayer.
Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you, there is no greater thing.
You're my all, you're the best,
you're my joy, my righteousness, and I love you Lord.
Graham Kendrick © 1993 Make Way Music
Tonight at 6:30pm Here is a link for you to join me on Zoom as we share what song(s) we are humming at the moment. What songs are encouraging us.
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75792852279?pwd=WTJmSlZvaGNMcC9OSTZyOHlOVk1qQT09
I will write again on Wednesday with another occasion from Luke’s gospel where Jesus has a short conversation with an unexpected person - Stephen