Jesus meets a dishonest cheat - Jesus and Zacchaeus
Notes
Transcript
In the 1980s this man build a massive empire!
He owned major resorts, art collections and lots of real estate.
International guests could arrive at Brisbane or Cairns airports and be transferred to either the Gold Coast or Port Douglas resorts by Hovercraft.
I visited one of his two major resorts.
Unfortunately I could not afford the $1000 plus a night room charge.
So I just looked around the foyer and felt very out of place.
This man is reported to have stashed million in overseas hide-outs.
In 1991 he fled to Majorca in Spain, avoiding criminal charges after the $1.5 billion collapse of his Qintex empire in Australia,
He died a few years ago.
Who am I talking about?
What feelings does the name Christopher Skase evoke in your mind?
Cheat Con man, Traitor, Loathed, and Avoids responsibility.
Now imagine a different time,
A time about 2000 years ago when Jesus walked in Palestine.
Please come on a journey with me to the ancient city of Jericho
Back then if you said the name Zacchaeus in the city of Jericho the response would have been much worse than saying the name Christopher Skase today.
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector.
His name means righteous or pure, he is in fact a Jew, but!
He is also the district chief tax collector.[1],He probably has other tax collectors under his charge.
He would collect the taxes and pass them onto the Romans, with of course a small percentage taken for his own expenses.
SLIDE 1
This would have been his idea of tax collection
Jericho would have been a good spot for him to conduct business, it was on an important trade route from Jerusalem to the east, and was also a wealthy area in its own right.
You would have to be a complete idiot to not make lots of money as a tax collector here.
The job would probably be akin to owning a McDonalds Franchise or Microsoft shares today, almost a license to print money.
Zacchaeus was smart, resourceful, & loathed by his fellow Jews as a traitor, because he worked for the Romans.
He was regarded as one who ripped off his own people.
A bit like, many peoples’ regard for Christopher Skase & others.
SLIDE 2
Into this scene comes Jesus.
He has just passed through the old city of Jericho.
He has just healed two men, one of them named Bartimaeus.
Jesus is about to enter the new city of Jericho.
As he passes through the gates and into the city the crowd grows bigger, word has got around about the healing on the road.
Zacchaeus is intent on seeing Jesus.
But Zacchaeus is short and because he is unpopular the crowd elbows him out of the way.
Slide 3
So he runs ahead and climbs a broad heavy tree, 25 to 50 feet high, with low spreading branches, a tree, which is common in the fertile oases by the Dead Sea.
It is a sycamore-fig tree. [2]
Jesus is about to pass by and he looks up and says:
“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
Slide 4
The crowd hears Jesus say this and it is clear to them that this is something Jesus intends to happen.
He has worded his statement as a command.
A “No” answer is simply not possible.
The crowd is watching how is Zacchaeus going to respond?
He climbs out of his tree, he looks happy.
He is more than happy.
He is literally full of joy.
The crowd is thinking that the teacher must be mistaken!
Zacchaeus is after all a sinner, a fraudulent rip off merchant who has sold his soul to the hated Romans for a quick buck at the expense of his own people.
It is most “unwise” of Jesus to invite himself to such a man’s house.
After all none of the respected religious leaders in town would invite themselves, let alone go.
Zacchaeus is amazed that Jesus should honour him, a despised man, by coming to his house.
What is Jesus’ reason for going to Zacchaeus’ house?
All around Zacchaeus people are watching as he makes his way home with Jesus at his side.
SLIDE 5
Zacchaeus seems to be changing before people’s eyes as they watch him walk.
He seems happier, more at peace.
The crowd arrives at Zacchaeus’ house, many leave not wanting to defile themselves by entering the house of a sinner.
But others stay, they are curious to see what is going to happen next.
Jesus and Zacchaeus enter the house and recline at the table as others gather around.
Zacchaeus is nodding approvingly as Jesus speaks with him and in the corner someone makes a comment about taxes!
The room goes silent and everyone looks at the culprit.
Now Zacchaeus is on his feet.
He is addressing Jesus.
What’s this? He gives half of his possessions to the poor. This is unheard of!
Even the most pious religious people give no more that a fifth of their income to the poor.
The law asks for no more than this!
But then the significance of Zacchaeus’ next words strike the room into stunned silence.
Zacchaeus is admitting that he has cheated people and is offering to pay back four times what he has taken.
The law only requires the original amount plus one fifth to be re-payed when someone volunteers restitution.
Zacchaeus is offering the penalty prescribed for convicted theft of an animal or other property.
The list of people would be enormous.
He actually means to search his own records and set things right!
It is clear, in light of Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus, that he sees himself as a thief and is willing to payback the maximum possible.
This is real repentance.
All eyes are on Jesus now.
What is he going to say?
Then Jesus puts it all into place for everyone.
Slide 6
He says,“Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”
Yes, like his Jewish kinsmen Zacchaeus is physically a descendant of Abraham.
But more importantly Jesus recognises the repentant tax collector as one who is a true son of Abraham.
Zacchaeus’ neighbours could slander him and exclude him from society because of his occupation, but they themselves were sons of Abraham in name only.[3]
In effect Jesus is saying that Zacchaeus has true faith in God.
Just as Abraham freely accepted God’s undeserved favour so too has Zacchaeus.
Jesus goes onto explain that he has come to show grace, God’s undeserved favour, to those who need it.
Zacchaeus was certainly in need of it and his response shows that he accepted it with open arms.
You may be a bit like Zacchaeus unaccepted and shunned by society!
You may believe that you don’t quite fit in.
People may make it clear to you that you are not welcome.
What does Jesus say to you?
You may know people like Zacchaeus people who have all sorts of social stigmas attached to them.
They may invoke the same reaction as the name Christopher Skase or some other failed promise you the world character.
People may see them as a dishonest cheat.
One for whom there is no hope.
SLIDE 7
Jesus doesn’t seem to be worried about that!
He accepts people as they are.
It is called Grace; God’s unmerited favour.
Just like Zacchaeus not one of us deserves Jesus’ attention.
Just as Christopher Skase was a fugitive from Australian justice, so we too are fugitives, on the run from God’s judgement.
You certainly can’t buy God’s forgiveness.
But his love and forgiveness is freely available to you.
When you responded to his love and forgiveness he helps you to put right the wrongs!
In God’s eyes every one of us is like Zacchaeus.
We have all ripped God off.
We all need God’s grace
Look around this week and see where you can show God’s grace to others!
You see, “God has a way of upsetting social distinctions and finding his saints in unexpected places.”[4]
[1]Bauer, Walter, Gingrich, F. Wilbur, and Danker, Frederick W., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 1979.
[2]Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.
[3]Tyndale commentary Luke 19: 1-10
[4] An Introduction to the New Testament, Carson, Moo, & Morris