Luke 18:31—19:10 on April 6th, 2025
Above is audio of the sermon pulled from the video and amplified.
Below is transcript pulled from the video and formatted by artificial intelligence. There may be inconsistencies or errors.
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Sunday schools love Zacchaeus. Maybe that's why we're told to appreciate the little things. At least Sunday schools love to act out the story and sing about them. The wee little man who climbs up in a sicklemore tree for the good lord he wanted to see. It provides one of the most vivid short stories in the whole Bible. Children can identify with Zacchaeus. They often find themselves at the back of a crowd unable to see what's going on. On a deeper level, many adults too can identify with them. They might like to get closer to Jesus, but maybe don't know how. They're worried about their past reputation or their history or find it too costly to do so.
Yes, so wee little man was he. He can be quite relatable in many areas, but there's more to a story than stature, profession or reputation. This story kind of summarizes all of Luke's gospel. Wealth and how one should relate to it. Jesus eating and spending time with sinners and the faith new life theme once people experience Jesus. It's all wrapped up into this one tiny tale.
And since we talked a good bit about money and stuff last week, let's start today with the crowds and how they label Zacchaeus as a sinner. The people don't really like Zacchaeus. One of his shortcomings was his profession. Not just a tax collector, but a chief tax collector. He took their money and gave it to the oppressor. But not only did he keep a large share of the taxes he collected for himself, he also got a percentage of the other tax collectors under him. Kind of a first century pyramid scheme of taxation. And how could somebody be so low? And because of this, he's seen not just as an outsider, but not just as a turncoat to his people, not just short on morality, but a sinner. This is more than just another wealthy corrupt tax collector. He's someone to be written off cast aside. He is beyond redemption. He is a sinner. And as such, he's outside of community. He's lost. He may be wealthy, but he is not welcome. He's an outcast. Put in a box looked down upon.
If Zacchaeus is defined by his past, he is without hope. Which makes me think, we often assume people are stuck in their roles. Either sinners or saints, insiders or outsiders are a tree climber or somebody on the front row. We tend to define people by their worst choices and place them in a box that they can never climb out of. And what a shame. What a shame when people do that to us. But Jesus refuses to let people stay in their boxes. He sees Zacchaeus differently. For Jesus, salvation isn't about who you and I think is worthy. It's about him seeking out the lost, bringing salvation to outsiders, ignoring what and who we think are worthy.
Jesus comes to Zacchaeus and refuses to keep people in the boxes that we put them in. Before Zacchaeus has done anything, before he repents, before he gives a dime, before he's done anything except climb a tree, Jesus notices him. Looks up at him. Maybe that happened for the first time in Zacchaeus' life and invites himself over. It's a stay, not a visit. It's grace that shows up. It is life and love. It is community for this outsider, this loner, this castaway. And all that could be surprising. And so that's what we've come to expect from Jesus.
What is really surprising is Zacchaeus' response. His encounter with Jesus transforms him into somebody who wants to live differently. Zacchaeus responds by giving generously and his transformation is immediate. Half my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor. I will pay back four times as much. Because grace doesn't just accept you. It transforms you. And salvation isn't going to heaven later. It's about a new way of living now. See, Jesus doesn't say that someday after you get your life together, then salvation will come. He says, today, today, salvation has come to this house. That's affirmation from Jesus that Zacchaeus gets it. He encountered Jesus, the one who is love and life embodied. Jesus, who is the seeker of the lost. Jesus, who is the salvation of the world. And Zacchaeus is changed when Jesus seeks him out. And Zacchaeus responds with generosity. Salvation is more than some future hope. It is a present reality that transforms how we live. Present salvation is living differently because of Jesus.
But it also means being brought into community, back into community. Jesus notes that as Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham, he is restored to his place in that family of faith. Zacchaeus is connected to something bigger than himself. The same covenant and family of faith that included Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, the prophets, the disciples, all those saints who came before us. Not only is he forgiven, but he is welcomed home. He is reinstated to this place in his community. Salvation means that we belong. That is what Jesus did for Zacchaeus, and that is what Jesus does for us today.
In our world, we are placed in so many boxes. We are told who we are, where we fit in and why we matter or why we don't. Unlike it or not, we often do that to others too. We are all lost in our various ways by our sinfulness, by our judgments, by excluding others or by being excluded ourselves. And yet because Jesus seeks us out, Jesus looks at us, and then Jesus invites himself in. Jesus doesn't wait for us to straighten up first. He calls us down from whatever tree we've climbed and tells us that today he's coming over. Today he is with us. Today, salvation is here. Today we are welcomed home as part of a greater community of faith.
And since Jesus brings all of this today, we as a community are to live it out today, and tomorrow and into the future. Throughout this season of Lent, we've been having conversations around who we are as a church. What's most important and how can we live in community better so that others can see here and feel that salvation that Jesus brings? It's important for us to reflect on who we are and how we can continue living as a faith community in this time and in this place. And in some ways, these conversations are like climbing a tree, trying to see it just a little further down the road. See where Jesus is as he passes by.
But the reality of it is, Jesus finds us. Jesus calls us to be with him and it, Jesus then reminds us of the gift of salvation, salvation in his presence, saving through bread and wine, grace in this gift of community, love of God, and claiming us forever, belonging to that same covenantal story that God's been telling since Abraham. Jesus sees us and Jesus calls us down. No matter how lost we feel, no matter how others define us, no matter how short we have fallen, Jesus calls us back into something greater than ourselves, a community, a community that is shaped by God's promises, people gathered at Christ's table and a faith that is meant to be lived out today. Jesus welcomes us into this greater story and we have a calling. We are called to be a community that lives that out. Not just in words, but in the way we welcome, in the way we share, in the way that we refuse to let the world's labels define who belongs. Because salvation isn't just personal, it's communal. It is being found, being welcomed, and then being sent out to share that same grace with the whole world.