Oct. 30, 2022

The story of Zacchaeus is such a delightful story. Part of its delight comes from its simplicity. It is the story of a wealthy man, a tax collector, who is short is stature. In childlike fashion he runs ahead, climbs a tree, hurries down when beckoned by name, joyfully stands before the one who calls him, and eagerly brings that man home. This story is so simple, someone made a children’s song about it.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man And a wee little man was he

He climbed up in a sycamore tree For the Lord he wanted to see

And when the Savior passed that way He looked up in the tree

And said, ‘Zacchaeus, you come down!

For I’m going to your house today! For I’m going to your house today!’

Now, while I get great joy in this story’s simplicity and in the children’s song – and, to be honest, I also get a lot of joy from the fact that Zacchaeus is described as short in stature, – I think we err when we keep it there and don’t go deeper into what this story may be saying to us.

As Pamela noted a few weeks ago we are nearing the end of Luke’s travel narrative – only one parable follows this story before Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Scripturally, this story comes several verses after the lectionary reading from last week about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Jesus is a good teacher. He shares a story, a parable, sometimes more than one to make his point and then applies the lesson as they journey together. In the verses between the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and our story today, Jesus welcomes children, argues with a “ruler” who refuses to give up his wealth, tells of his death and resurrection for the third time, and heals a blind man.

That’s a lot to happen in twenty verses!!

But, the stakes are high at this point, Jesus has little time left to teach what is important.

So here we are at the sycamore tree. The stakes are high – Jesus has something important to teach them – and us. This is so much more than a simple story. In many ways, this is a culmination example of the parable we heard last week and the teaching moments since he shared it.

Zacchaeus, another outsider, seeks out Jesus – just like the children and the blind man.

Except this time, his status as an outsider is determined by his occupation rather than circumstances out of his control. The crowd marks him as a sinner. Not only is Zacchaeus a tax collector, but a chief tax collector. He made his wealth by increasing what was owed. He paid Rome what was due and kept the rest. The system worked well for him. He had power and wealth. Certainly, an unexpected person to solidify Jesus’s lesson. One might ask, why was he so drawn to seek out Jesus – Jesus the preacher who told those in power to sell their property, distribute the money to the poor, and follow him. And yet, here is rich Zacchaeus up in a tree trying to get a glimpse of Jesus.

Where is everyone else? Well, they are there to seek Jesus, too. But, something happens. In the crowd, they lose sight of him. They begin to focus on who gets Jesus’s attention instead of keeping their sights to what is happening in this delightful scene. We do this, too.

Last weekend was our yearly diocesan convention in Redding. If you haven’t heard, it was a wonderful event that was focused on New Creation. A resolution, written by our very own Rev. Dr. Pamela and others, passed. That resolution committed the churches in the diocese to become carbon neutral in the next ten years. We had mini-learning sessions about land use and youth. N.T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham, England, and renowned theologian and New Testament scholar, gave our keynote address which reminded us that our churches are working models and signposts of the New Creation, which started in Jesus.

With all this focus on New Creation and the wonderful discussions happening at convention, some still lost sight of Jesus. We received a message from Bishop Megan this week that someone overheard delegates talking in the restroom. One of the delegates said, “They should not be here if they cannot speak English.” Bishop Megan responded to hearing about this troubling event with a pastoral letter to the diocese that rebuked the statements made and called our attention back to Jesus and our call to “enact the Good News of God in Christ in every person we come near.” She reiterated N.T. Write’s message that our congregations and conventions are to be “working models” of New Creation and not repeaters of those behaviors of which we all repent.”* Bishop Megan’s message has now been translated to two other languages.

Do you hear the similarities between how the crowd reacted to Zacchaeus’s receiving Jesus’s love and the statements made by delegates at our convention? Even while following Jesus and gathering to do good work, people get caught up deciding who belongs and who doesn’t. There is a scarcity mindset here. When we get into the weeds of deciding who belongs and who doesn’t, there is a fear that there isn’t enough room for all of us. In the New Creation, however, there is room. There is always room. Jesus’s message is clear. In God’s Kingdom, everyone belongs.

When we lose sight of Jesus, we start focusing on the wrong thing. We start to fear that there isn’t enough. Zacchaeus’s story helps us here, too. When the crowd begins to grumble about Jesus being the guest of a sinner, Zacchaeus tells Jesus that he gives half of his possessions to the poor and that he repays four times what he has defrauded.

I don’t know if you noticed, but I changed the verb tense here. The translation we use for our readings, the NRSV, says that Zacchaeus will do these things – in the future. It is a pledge to Jesus. However, many scholars disagree with this translation. They argue that when the verb is correctly translated, Zacchaeus says he is already doing these things.

Why does this matter? Well, if Jesus’s interaction with Zacchaeus is a culmination example of Jesus’s recent teachings then, Zacchaeus is the exemplar. He has already turned toward Jesus. This moment is not a conversion – that already happened. Zacchaeus has already realized that there is abundance in Jesus. He no longer needs to focus on his earthly wealth and power.

Our stewardship inserts this season have had a focus on this kind of abundance. When seek Jesus, we know there is enough to share. Enough wealth and enough room. Can we look to Zacchaeus as an example of what happens when we live in the mode of abundance? N.T. Wright challenges our churches to be working models of New Creation. We can join in that by sharing our time, talents, and treasures to support that mission.

We must constantly be reorienting ourselves to seek Jesus. He’s always there, we just lose sight sometimes. We are the crowd, but we can be Zacchaeus.

Jesus says to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” Ahh, here we go. This story is bigger than Zacchaeus. I do not think Jesus invited himself to stay only at Zacchaeus’s

house that day. I believe Jesus is inviting himself to dwell within all of us who seek him, for we are all the descendants of Abraham.

Lord, I pray that I will always seek you. I will run ahead like Zacchaeus. And, out of the darkness of being in a sea of people, I will climb out into the light where I can see. From the tree, I will seek the one who gives me the living water (John 4:10). Jesus sees me, notices me, calls me by name. In him I do not need wealth. I do not need the approval of the crowds around me. I need only him and he has invited himself to stay with me. I am found. Amen.

* Pastoral Message from Bishop Megan Traquir, October 27, 2022. Updated October 28.