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Today we celebrate All Saints Sunday remembering those
special persons in our lives and from our church who
have gone on to glory. Later in the service you will
have the opportunity to name those special people in
your life. We are thankful for the privilege of knowing
them. Some have been influential in our faith
development. Others have showed us unconditional love.
Some dealt with us with patience, hoping and praying
that we would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus
Christ. We give thanks to God for their lives and the
ways they impacted our lives.
There are saints that
we immediately recognize, like the gospel writers,
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Our reading this morning
comes to us from Saint Luke. There are other saints
like Francis of Assisi or Theresa of Avila that also
come to mind. Some of the saints we would not recognize
their names yet they are known God.
Saints are believers who have lived their lives
full of love and compassion with the utmost integrity.
A saint is a person through whom the light of God shines
brightly. The love of God is exhibited in every
encounter they had.
We follow Jesus’ example, trying our best to be
more and more like him. That’s what it means to be a
saint—to be Christ-like in all of our actions, in all of
our encounters with people.
For the better part of
the last ten chapters in Luke’s gospel Jesus has been
making his slow, yet determined trek to Jerusalem.
These chapters are referred to as the travel narratives.
Along the way Jesus stopped to talk with people, tell
parables and teach. Our lesson this morning takes place
in Jericho. If you check a map of the Holy Lands you
will discover that Jericho is a long way from
Jerusalem. It appears that Jesus made a detour to the
city of Jericho before entering Jerusalem.
Jesus was intentional about visiting Jericho
where he would meet a tax collector named Zacchaeus. If
Jesus purposefully sought people out, then we too need
to step up our evangelism. Who are the people we know
who would benefit from a relationship with Jesus Christ
and the fellowship of the church?
Word spread through Jericho that Jesus would
soon be passing through. Many of the people had heard
about Jesus. They now had the opportunity of seeing him
up close. The people must have been excited as they
lined the street.
Not only was Zacchaeus a tax collector, we are
told that he was the “chief tax collector.” Tax
collectors were despised in the first century for two
reasons. First, they collected taxes for the hated
Romans. People resented paying taxes to Rome. And
second, tax collectors had the reputation of taking
unfair advantage of people, of collecting more money
then they were required. Being the chief tax collector,
Zacchaeus was both corrupt and wealthy. And he was
hated by the town’s people because of it. For some
unknown reason Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Would we
call such a person today a seeker? A seeker is someone
who is not quite sure about Jesus but desiring to know
more.
Being so strongly disliked, it would not be a
good idea for Zacchaeus to mingle in a crowd. He might
have limited his exposure in public. In a crowd he
might have been pushed or punched, or kicked by persons
who did not care for him. Being short in a large crowd
it would be difficult to know who it was that hit you.
Crowds could prove dangerous. We occasionally read of
an unruly crowd somewhere that results with people being
injured.
For some unknown
reason Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Zacchaeus ran
ahead and “climbed a sycamore tree for the Lord he
wanted to see.” Respectable people did not run yet
alone climb a tree but Zacchaeus did both. Apparently
he did not care what people thought of him, after all
they already despised him.
I’m not sure whether
or not he wanted Jesus to notice him. Jesus always
knows what it is that we are thinking and feeling.
Jesus saw him up a tree, stopped and called out to him,
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your
house today.” Zacchaeus must have been dumfounded as he
quickly descend the tree. Why would Jesus single him
out from the crowd? There were so many people present
that day. And how did Jesus know his name? Maybe his
reputation preceded him and Jesus knew all about his
corruption. The whole episode must have puzzled
Zachaeus.
There is both a sense
of purpose and determination when Jesus told him, “I
must stay at your house today.” Certainly this was not
what Zacchaeus expected. He was content just to see
Jesus pass by and now Jesus invited himself to his
home. Talk about an unexpected guest! He might have
felt uncomfortable, perhaps even undeserving of such an
honor.
After this encounter
the crowd begins to grumble. It did not seem right that
Jesus would be the guest at a tax collector’s home.
They must have thought they, the good law abiding
citizens, deserved such an honor and certainly not
someone like Zacchaeus.
Fortunately the
grumbling of the crowd did not seem to affect Zacchaeus,
perhaps he was used to their complaining. In the
presence of Jesus and all the people Zacchaeus declares,
“Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the
poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will
pay back four times as much.” Those in the crowd might
have chuckled when Zacchaeus said “If I have defrauded
anyone,” of course he cheated people—that was part of
his job.
It was a moment of
truth for Zacchaeus, a moment of divine encounter that
tugged at his heart. Jesus placed no conditions on him,
nor did he tell him to give away his belongings, or
refund anyone’s money. As a result of that divine
encounter Zacchaeus went beyond what was expected, he
gave away his belongings and refunded people “four
times” as much. If he cheated someone out of ten
dollars he would give them forty dollars. There is more
to being saved than just saying nice words. It was John
the Baptist who proclaimed, “bear fruit worthy of
repentance.” Zacchaeus’ life was forever changed as a
result of meeting Jesus. The last verse of our lesson
serves as a mission statement for Jesus, “For the Son of
Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Jesus paid attention
to Zacchaeus. It seems as though the purpose of Jesus’
trip to Jericho was to meet Zacchaeus. It was faith on
purpose. Who are the people we know, that if we were
intentional about sharing our faith they would respond?
Who are the people God has placed in our lives that we
can make a purposeful difference?
On this All Saints
Sunday we remember the people who now rest from their
labors. We are thankful for the people who lived out
their faith in such a way that it caught our attention.
The saints continue to inspire greater faithfulness in
each of us. I picture the saints in a large stadium
cheering us on from the stands. We are on the playing
field, with the saints cheering us. We are overwhelmed
by their applause and want to do our best to serve Jesus
and the church.
God willing, one day,
each one of us will become a saint. When the saints
come marching in, we can be in their number.
Amen.
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