Jesus was very busy in the final weeks leading up to his arrest, conviction, and crucifixion. He knew his time was short. He knew he was facing a time of trial and rejection. He knew he was going to die.
As he mentally prepared for his final journey to the cross, Jesus also worked to prepare his disciples for what was coming – coming for Jesus and then coming for them. They were going to have to pick up the mantle and step in to lead his followers. In the first part of our reading this morning, we read about a moment when Jesus tried to warn his disciples about what was to come. ….We will read Luke chapter 18 verse 31 through Luke chapter 19 verse 10. Listen now to the word of God…..
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him;
33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
Amen.
The psychological term Cognitive Dissonance refers to the phenomenon when we have mental stress or discomfort when we hold two or more conflicting beliefs. Jesus’ disciples are described as having Cognitive Dissonance over and over again – Jesus repeatedly told them the prophet’s predictions were going to be fulfilled, Jesus would be killed by the Gentiles, and he would rise from the dead after three days….the Disciples heard Jesus repeat this information to them again and again, yet the scriptures say: “The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what Jesus was talking about.”
I suspect Jesus was a tad frustrated by his friends not “understanding” what he was talking about. They were convinced Jesus was the messiah, and the messiah was going to change the world….but, in their minds, Jesus’ arrest, torture, death, and eventual resurrection was not part of his fate. So, they heard him explain what was coming and yet they refused to understand and comprehend it.
Jesus’ warning to his disciples comes before two stories of Jesus’ healing – one of the people was healed from a physical disability; the other person was healed from an ethical disability. Listen to how these healing stories unfolded as we continue reading in verse thirty-five:
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.
36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,
41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”
43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Let us pray….
Message Zacchaeus
One of the themes that has been part of our Lenten scripture texts is the final verse we read this morning: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” A doctor doesn’t need to treat healthy patients; a chef doesn’t need to feed full stomachs; a Kindergarten teacher doesn’t need to teach a high school graduate how to read. Jesus came to seek and save the lost….people who were in need of positive transformations…. people who were having problems with their bodies, minds and spirits and needed to be healed and restored.
This morning, our scripture can be broken down into three vignettes….as this one of the weeks of our annual Lenten observance, we read a scripture passage where Jesus predicted that he would be entering his final phase on earth; and yet the Disciples failed to grasp the reality of his prediction of the future. The prediction of Jesus’ demise is followed by Jesus healing a blind man and Jesus’ healing a greedy man.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
The blind man lived with a terrible predicament. In the first century, people who had disabilities like visual impairment were excluded from economic opportunities. There were not jobs blind people could do to earn a living–they didn’t have blind farmers or blind fishermen or blind teachers. People with visual impairments were reliant on the charity of others and were often rejected by their neighbors. They were outcasts.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the blind man is called Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is tenacious. He heard a commotion because Jesus was entering Jericho, so he asked the people passing by what was going on. When Bartimaeus heard Jesus was coming, he started hollering. The people around him told him to be quiet – they wanted to hear and see Jesus and didn’t want Bartimaeus to be loud. But, Bartimaeus cared more about getting Jesus’ attention than he cared about following the rules. And, Bartimaeus did indeed get Jesus’ attention. Jesus asked him what he wanted, Bartimaeus said he wanted to see, and Jesus immediately, miraculously healed him. Bartimaeus, with restored vision, left everything and followed Jesus.
The next healing story is a favorite for children. Zacchaeus was apparently short in stature. After Jesus healed the blind man, Jesus continued on into Jericho. The crowds grew and grew and Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus over the heads of the others who rushed to see Jesus. So, he climbed a tree to get a better view. Children are used to being shorter than adults, so this story resonates with them – they understand how difficult it is to be too short to see something or someone important.
Jesus noticed Zacchaeus and told him to come down. Jesus then invited himself to join Zaccaheus in his home for a meal. Jesus scandalized the crowd with this invite – he consistently spent time dining with sinners and social rejects. When dignitaries and Roman officials came to town, they usually dined with important people – high-ranking Roman officials, kings like Herod, the Temple high priest and members of the Sanhedrin. Jesus dined with tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners, and outcasts.
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.
When he went to Zaccaheus’ house, Zacchaues had a profound reaction. He immediately declared he would give away half of his possessions to the poor. And, he would give four times the monetary amount to people he had cheated. When he came into the presence of Jesus, Jesus healed Zacchaus of his greed, of his dishonesty, and of his exploitation of the poor. Jesus forgave Zacchaeus his past sins and mistakes; in Jesus, Zacchaeus was made a new man.
Blind Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus were among the “lost” of the first century. They were rejected by their communities – one for a physical disability and the other for a “moral” defect. But, Jesus saw each of them as worthy of saving – they each were beloved children of God – they each deserved healing and restoration – they each deserved grace.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. No matter what we have done in our pasts – our mistakes, our regrets, our failings – Jesus came to save the lost. Jesus came to save us. And, our work as the saved people of God is to encourage others to join us – to embrace the Christian faith for themselves and to seek to have a relationship with God.
Both Zacchaeus and Blind Bartimaeus were rejected by their community….they were rejected by their neighbors. Bartimaeus was dismissed because he was blind – they knew he was going to be dependent on charity for his whole life – he wasn’t going to amount to much. And, Zaccaheus was a tax collector – he was hated by his neighbors for working for the foreign Roman government that was oppressing them. And, tax collectors were blamed for cheating the population out of their hard-earned money and goods. The people hated tax collectors; as April 15 is soon to arrive, many people still hate paying taxes and the IRS employees who determine if we have paid enough. Both of these men were dismissed and rejected by their communities and neighbors.
But, their stories are a reminder that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Nothing we can do is so horrible that God can’t forgive us. Nothing we can do is so horrible that God won’t love us. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus is seeking us. Jesus is seeking the people who don’t have a relationship with him yet. Jesus is seeking the imperfect people who know they are missing something, but may not know quite what that is.
Let us work to help others know that Jesus is looking for them, and Jesus welcomes all of us with open arms. JEsus is her to seek and to save the lost.
Amen.
