Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner."
Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "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." Then Jesus said to him, "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."
Sermon by the Rev. Carole Horton-Howe
We’ve had a few stories in our gospel readings lately about Jesus interacting with rich men. This week we meet Zacchaeus, another rich man, who is just as an entitled and selfish as some of the other rich men we’ve met in some of the other parables. What’s lovely and unique about this one is how he undergoes a life-changing experience.
The first thing to notice about Zacchaeus was that he was a chief tax collector. This means that he was a regional contractor for the Roman government. This would have been a lucrative business, because Jericho was a rich city. According William Barclay Jericho had a great palm forest and world-famous balsam groves which perfumed the air for miles around. Its gardens of roses were known far and wide. The Romans carried its dates and balsam in world-wide trade and fame. It was such a beautiful and temperate place that in 4 BCE, Herod the Great built a palace there as a winter retreat.
And Zacheus was rich. The Romans did not collect taxes themselves. They got the Jews to do it for them. In the whole scheme of tax collecting, Zacchaeus was not some small time operator; he was a powerful and wealthy business person.
But this wealth and power cost him something. He was ostracized and rejected by his community. We read in verse 6 that he was considered “a man who was a sinner.” They would have regarded him as a traitor and a collaborator. He sold his soul to Rome for a pot of money. He had everything he could want except the love and respect of the people around him.
The name Zacchaeus means “pure one.” Which says to me that at the beginning of his life, his family had great hopes for him. What happened to bring him to a reputation of living an impure life we cannot know. As far as the people of Jericho were concerned he was a lost cause. Wealth can you buy you many things, it can’t buy you respect and belonging. So there must have been an emptiness in his life. Deep in his soul - gnawing sense of isolation and alienation.
So when Jesus came to Jericho, Zacchaeus was eager to see him. Now this is not idle curiosity motivated by Jesus’ celebrity status. He is not interested merely in “seeing Jesus” but wants to know “who Jesus is”. He goes to extraordinary lengths to fulfill his quest, even enduring the shame of climbing a tree despite his adult male status and position in the community as a wealthy “ruler,” however notorious. That he goes to such lengths shows his deep longing.
Unfortunately, the crowd isn’t very accommodating. Verse 3 continues, “he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature.”
If Zacchaeus was short, that in itself should not have prevented him from seeing Jesus. All he had to do was work his way to the front. What really stopped him was the hostility of the crowd towards him. They tried to prevent Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus.
But he so strong was his commitment to know Jesus, he did something that a rich pampered man was not likely to do. He climbed the tree like a little boy, and without realizing it he fulfilled Jesus’ word that unless we become like children we will not see the kingdom of God. (Matthew 18:3).
Now what Zacchaeus didn’t realize is that Jesus wanted to meet Zacchaeus, just as much as Zacchaeus wanted to meet Jesus. Jesus stops at the bottom of the sycamore, looks up and says. “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”
How did Jesus know Zacchaeus’ name? Politicians and posh people usually have aides who stand beside them with a list of the people that they’ll be meeting that day. Then they can whisper their name to their boss giving the illusion that the politician really knows them. I doubt that Jesus had such an aide; but he did know Zacchaeus and he called him by name.
How do you think that made Zacchaeus feel? Humbled? Amazed? Grateful? Even --- loved?
Jesus’s words “I must stay at your house” imply a divine necessity. The word “must” when it appears in the scripture is often code for “this is God’s will.”
So -- who is seeking whom? We discover at the outset that Zacchaeus is on a quest, to see who Jesus is, only to learn in the end that, in accordance with his divine mission, Jesus has been on a quest for Zacchaeus, to bring him hope, to bring him redemption, to being him salvation. Hoping to see Jesus, Zacchaeus is seen by him.
There’s a lovely old hymn that puts it this way:
I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me.
It was not I that found, O Savior true, no, I was found by thee.
And that is the good news for us in this story. Before we ever come seeking Jesus, Jesus is seeking us. He stops in front of whatever tree we have climbed, or whatever corner we feel backed into, or whatever place we are happy and dancing and calls us by name. Jesus knows each of us by name and he wants to spend time with us.
Jesus’ word, transformed Zacchaeus. He was filled with joy, knowing that he was forgiven and loved. No longer an outcast, he was now a part of the family of God.
And then Zacchaeus hit the ground running as a changed person. In verse 8 we read, ‘And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.”’
Notice two things. First, Zacchaeus made restitution for his past failures, but that restitution was greater than what the Law required. Leviticus 6:2-5 says “if you have defrauded you neighbor [that would be Zacchaeus] … you shall repay the principal amount and shall add one fifth to it.” In other words, to make restitution you paid a 20% penalty. But Zacchaeus promised to make restitution at a rate of 400%.
I suspect this is something we can all relate to something about us as people that is still true of us 2,000 year later. And it’s this: when God’s grace touches our heart, we not only want to put right what we did wrong, but we also want to bless those whom we have wronged. Zacchaeus had tasted the kindness of the Lord and so he offered a feast to those whom he wounded so they too could taste the kindness of the Lord.
Second, Zacchaeus promised to use half of his wealth to help the poor on an ongoing basis. The verb “I give,” is in the present continuous tense. That means that he not only immediately liquidated half of his assets and gave it to the poor, but that he also promised to continue to support the poor by giving them half of his annual income.
Can you imagine the impact that had on his community? Jericho was a rich town and good place to live if you were rich, but not so good if you were poor. But Zacchaeus’ gift would have made a tremendous difference for all those who were widows, orphans, blind, sick or disabled. By using his wealth to help others, he brought good news to the poor and proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor. Zacchaeus has made Jesus’ work his own.
So I have a challenge for you today. In the quietness of your heart and presence of Jesus, ask yourself how you are living. What is your shortcoming? How can you repair it? Ask Jesus to help you. Thank him for his loving care that always seeks out the sinner. And having done that hard work, may you follow his example, by the way you live and the way you give. Amen.