8^th November 2010

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley

Lessons -- Psalm 145:8-21; Luke 19:1-10

And Jesus said to Zacchaeus, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.' (Luke 19:9,10)

Although Jesus' parables are familiar they continue to surprise us. Jesus delights and shocks people because of his breathtaking offer of acceptance to the most unlikely people. The story of wealthy Zacchaeus is no exception! Luke tells us that Jesus is particularly critical of the rich for hoarding their wealth, using it exclusively for themselves and ignoring the plight of the needy. So much so that it seems that the rich have no place in the Kingdom of God.

This view is shared by many in the churches today who blame the rich. Social justice advocates often give the impression that 'the rich' are beyond hope and 'the poor' are more worthy of being accepted.

The story of Zacchaeus destroys such illusions. It is a good news story for the rich -- even the corrupt rich!

Zacchaeus is very wealthy -- and very corrupt. As the 'tax commissioner' in the thriving commercial centre of Jericho he has 'creamed off' a percentage of all the taxes collected by local officials. Having bent the rules to his own financial advantage he is loathed by his fellow Jews. He is no 'son of Abraham'. Not only does he work for the hated Romans but he has bullied and defrauded his own people for substantial profit. He is a 'notorious sinner' -- a crime boss, not a petty criminal!

The one thing Zacchaeus has in his favour is 'curiosity' (v3). His is not the 'idle curiosity' of a spectator. Nor is it the 'scheming curiosity' of the Pharisees or Herod. He is so eager 'to see who Jesus is' (v3a) that he risks making a fool of himself. This feared public official behaves in a most undignified way. He is unable to see from the back of the crowd. Forgetting that he should walk with an air of authority, he is like a boy 'running on ahead' and 'shinning up a tree'.

This 'horrid little man' who had cheated others to feather his own nest shows a curiosity that suggests a beginning of faith.

What follows pleases Zacchaeus but enrages the crowd! Jesus sees him but, instead of condemning him, he calls Zacchaeus to 'come down quickly' so that he can make a 'house call'. Jesus has the gall to invite himself to Zacchaeus's home. The decisive moment is when he takes the initiative and intervenes in Zacchaeus's life.

It is of the utmost importance to see that 'Jesus decides to stay with Zacchaeus while he is still an oppressive, swindling, collaborating tax- collector! He doesn't wait until Zacchaeus repents. Jesus acts while he is very much a sinner -- a notorious sinner. God's mercy precedes and makes possible the repentance that leads to salvation, to liberation.' (A Gill 1990)

Zacchaeus is overjoyed. His curiosity is unexpectedly met by an acceptance which transforms his life. He is moved to act in a way unthinkable prior to being encountered by Jesus. He responds with unbounded delight (v6) and unheard of responsibility (v8). A wealthy, fraudulent, arm-twisting, hated criminal finds full and undeserved acceptance in the company of Jesus.

His contemporaries, however, are not well pleased. Their curiosity about Jesus turns to anger when he welcomes this godless sinner. Jesus too is a law-breaker! Jesus cannot be a man of faith, a 'son of Abraham' (v9) -- and certainly not the awaited 'Son of Man' (v10) who brings hope to Israel.

Already we see signs of Christ's rejection on the cross. As Jesus passes through the commercial centre of Jericho on his way to the religious centre of Jerusalem, opposition to his grace-filled mission gathers pace. And as he moves toward his fateful encounter with Jewish and Roman authority we are moved to reflect on the fact that God's reconciling love for sinful humanity shatters our ideas of who is worthy and who is not.

The Gospel is concerned that all sinful people -- rich and poor, righteous and unrighteous -- may know the joy of God's undeserved love in their lives. Irrespective of their religious or financial standing, smug sinners and notorious sinners both need to hear God's word of grace and see it in action.

It is important to see that Zacchaeus is not worthy of acceptance. He isn't loved more than anybody else. He isn't accepted because Jesus sees a little bit of good in him. Zacchaeus is a very bad man. And his acceptance by Jesus does not depend on his first 'changing his ways' as a sign of sincerity. No. Jesus simply invites himself into Zacchaeus's life. In fact nothing is said about sin or forgiveness. The presence of Jesus is enough to make Zacchaeus happy, to convince him of his wrong doing and to spur him to do 'works of repentance'.

In gratitude for this entirely unexpected act of friendship, Zacchaeus goes far beyond the requirements of Jewish and Roman law. The Rabbis said that one-fifth of one's assets should go to the poor; Zacchaeus volunteers half. The Romans said that unscrupulous tax-collectors should restore double the value of the goods wrongly confiscated, or threefold if force had been used; Zacchaeus promises four-fold restitution.

Overwhelmed by God's grace in Jesus, Zacchaeus expresses his new found freedom by practising a magnificent repentance. Jesus doesn't tell him to do something to prove his faith. There is no sense of duty. In the presence of Jesus, Zacchaeus has experienced the acceptance love of God. Therefore he can't help but act in this most extravagant way to restore relationships with those whom he has ignored or wronged.

We don't know whether the curious but grumbling spectators were delighted by this most unexpected turn of events. We are simply told that 'today, salvation has come to the house' of a notorious sinner and collaborator who, nevertheless, becomes a person of faith: 'a son of Abraham' (v9); a man who is a beneficiary of God's undeserved love!

Nothing is said about the 'salvation of his soul'. Indeed, 'salvation' turns out to be a very secular reality. Zacchaeus's life is transformed by the mercy of God who has invaded his life in Christ, completely changing the way in which he relates to his neighbours, including those whom he so grievously wronged.

As such, he is one among many criminals whose lives have been turned around in dramatic fashion. John Newton, infamous slave-trader, was converted and campaigned for the abolition of slavery. Prison chaplains speak of the miracle of grace in the lives of some very hardened criminals. In 'Saved by Grace', a sermon preached to inmates in Basel Prison, Karl Barth said: 'Let me tell you quite frankly, we are all together sinners. Please understand; I include myself. (And) because we are saved by no other than Jesus Christ, we are saved by grace.' (Deliverance to Captives, pp 37,39.)

Thus the heart of the Christian Gospel is encapsulated in this marvellous story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. Jesus' mission as 'Son of Man' is 'to seek and to save the lost' (v10) -- whether we be poor or rich, religious or irreligious, conservative or progressive, complacent or fraudulent. And the proper response to God's undeserving love in Jesus is gratitude and repentance which seeks to put things right with those whom we have wronged.

The question for you and for me is whether we are delighted by Zacchaeus's conversion and keen to proclaim the transforming power of God's grace in the lives of bad people. Or are we angry that such a dreadful fellow should be so warmly welcomed into the fellowship of men and women who are 'sons and daughters of Abraham'?

It is fitting that we hear this word today as we are drawn together around the Lord's Table. As we celebrate the Lord's Supper we should be in no doubt that we, like Zacchaeus, belong to the community of faith, not because of any goodness of our own but purely by virtue of God's undeserved grace embodied in Christ. Thus, we should rejoice that swindlers like Zacchaeus are welcomed into the Kingdom of God in such a way that their unjust ways are exposed and their hearts are so changed that they practise a magnificent repentance.

We all need to hear this word -- if we have defrauded others or if we have withheld the message of salvation from those whose crimes have appalled us, and deafened them and us to the gracious, welcoming and transforming grace of God in Christ.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.