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Luke 19.1-10
Luke 19.1-10
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Shelton, WA
An Appointment with God
The good news about this story is that no one—no matter how bad they are… no matter how rejected they may become… no matter how far from God they may have wandered… no matter how lost they may seem to us—no one is beyond the power of God’s grace. No one is beyond the reach of God’s love. No one is so far from home that God isn’t looking out for and longing for their return.
Zacchaeus was one of the lost. Zacchaeus was one of the rejected… one of the sinners. He was one of those who had wandered far away. But on this day things would change—what was lost would be found, what was rejected would be redeemed, what was left empty and barren by sin would be filled and made whole by the power of God. Zacchaeus would find Jesus. And if someone like Zacchaeus can do it, anybody can.
You know, it’s somewhat ironic when you think about it, but his name—Zacchaeus—actually means “pure.” I can imagine the people of Jericho must have had fun with that one. I bet they must have laughed long and hard. “Zacchaeus pure! I don’t think so. If Zacchaeus was pure, then pigs are pure.” And, of course, as any good Israelite knows, pigs are not pure… not even close. Pigs are unclean.
That’s what Zacchaeus was—unclean. No one wanted to have anything to do with him. He was so vile… so filthy… just being around him might contaminate a person. You see not only was he a tax collector, but he was the main man. He was the chief tax collector. He sold out his faith and his people, his religion and his nation… all for a buck.
He was a friend to Rome. He cheated his neighbors—his brothers and sisters—just so he could pad his pockets. Zacchaeus was a scoundrel. Zacchaeus was a dirty, stinking sinner. And no one… no one wants anything to do with a sinner.
You see Zacchaeus was unclean. But when Jesus walked under that Sycamore tree, looked up into its branches; when the eyes of Jesus met the eyes of Zacchaeus, and Jesus called out his name, everything changed.
Oh, I suppose things started changing long before that. That’s what Prevenient grace is all about—the grace that goes before… the grace that is always alive, actively working in every person’s heart and soul… even people like Zacchaeus. You see unlike us, God never gives up on anybody.
Prevenient grace is the grace that works in a person’s heart creating a spiritual curiosity. Think about it. Here’s a man—Zacchaeus—who was very, very well off. He dressed in only the best clothes—tailor made, designer brands… only the finest that money could buy was good enough for Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was a powerful man… a man of considerable political clout. Even though his countrymen may have despised him, they would have been afraid of him. Oh, he may not have been respected, but at least he was feared.
Despite his lack of stature, Zacchaeus really was a big-shot. But not on this day—on this day something was working in Zacchaeus’ heart. Something was stirring within him… something strangely unsettling. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus.
Why? Why did he want to see Jesus? Who knows? Maybe it was the stories. For three years now this Jesus of Nazareth had generated crowds wherever he went. Huge crowds! Bigger than anyone had ever seen before. He taught with power and authority. His teachings inspired change. His words touched people where they were—in the midst of their struggles and their hardships and their doubts… in the midst of their pagan practices and empty religions… in the middle of their hypocrisy and their sin. He reached out to the outcast, the rejected, the sick, the lame… even, they say, to tax collectors.
He called people to holiness, but didn’t require perfection as a prerequisite. His sharpest words were aimed at the proud, the arrogant, the self-righteous… the religious elite. His compassion was poured out on the humble, the broken… the poor in spirit.
This man was different… far different than all the other “religious” people Zacchaeus had known. There was something about him… something inviting. Zacchaeus just had to see who he was. He had to see if the stories were true.
Maybe…But then again… maybe it wasn’t the stories. Maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe it was the miracles. Could they be real? Just this morning Zacchaeus heard that one of the blind beggars at the city gate had received his sight. And that wasn’t the fist time he heard the talk. There have been stories… incredible stories… stories of men, lame since birth, that at Jesus command, rose and stood on two strong legs… they walked, they ran, they even leapt for joy.
News spread about lepers being made whole, those possessed by evil spirits being set free, the sick being cured. Zacchaeus even heard that this Jesus had raised a dead man to life… a dead man! Somehow… somehow… Zacchaeus just had to see him. He just had to know if these miracles were real.
Could be the stories… Could be themiracles… But, you know, when you get right down to it, what I think it was… the reason why I think Zacchaeus had to see Jesus was far more personal. He was unhappy… his life was empty. He had everything money and power could afford him, but he was hallow… his life was without meaning. Zacchaeus was miserable.
Oh, it wasn’t the ridicule of his peers that bothered him. It wasn’t even the hatred he felt whenever he walked down the street. It was the emptiness. It was the void that gnawed at his heart. More than anything I think it was because deep inside his knew that even if he could gain the world, he was loosing his soul. And for the first time… for the first time in a very long, long time, that seemed to matter to him.
Prevenient grace was at work in Zacchaeus’ life. Something was stirring deep within… something strange and unsettling… something he hadn’t thought about for years. Zacchaeus felt something… something moving… something changing… something tugging at his heart. He didn’t know what it was. But he wanted to see Jesus. He had to see Jesus.
The crowds gathered on the streets. Word spread. Jesus was coming. Zacchaeus was curious. But it was a quiet curiosity. He really didn’t know what to make of all these thoughts and emotions he had been feeling lately. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He didn’t want people to think he might be getting soft. But he had to see. He had to know.
Often that’s the way it is when God’s grace first begins working in our lives—a quiet curiosity that draws us to spiritual issues… issues we may have never really considered before… issues that may have been dormant in our hearts since childhood… since Sunday School. Prevenient grace stirs them around. They begin to churn and ruminate in the back of our minds. And before long they are bubbling up in ways we can’t ignore. That’s the beginning of our spiritual journey.
That journey brought Zacchaeus to a road running through the middle of Jericho. Jesus was there—on that road—making his way up to Jerusalem. Zacchaeus had to see him. But the crowd was too thick and Zacchaeus was too short. Jesus walked by and Zacchaeus missed him.
You know, I’ve got this funny feeling that Jesus knew Zacchaeus was there on that roadside behind that crowd. I can almost see a small smirk as it inched across his face… and maybe even a slight glimmer in his eye as he glanced over to where Zacchaeus struggled in vain to peer over the crowd. And as Jesus walked by, I can almost hear him saying just under his breath, “I’ll see you down the road a bit, my friend. We have an appointment, Zacchaeus. You just don’t know it yet.”
I imagine many of us can look back to that special place in time where seeing Jesus was more than just watching as he walked past like some float in a parade. We recall that place where his eyes and our eyes were locked together in a way that brought both fear and excitement… that place where we could feel his eyes plumb the very depth of our heart and soul. And in that moment—in that instant—we knew that he knew everything there was to know about us… yet he still loved us.
That’s grace… amazing, unmatched and boundless grace! Grace that knows my sin, yet love me in spite of it; grace that reaches through the crowds, through the multitudes and lays hold of the one… the lost… the forgotten; grace that is filled with the power of a single touch… a touch that is deeply personal and intensely intimate and dramatically life-changing.
That’s what happened to Zacchaeus. Up in that sycamore tree, hugging onto that branch for dear life, the eyes of Jesus looked into theheart of Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus knew in that moment thathe was looking to the face of God. He knew the stories were true. He knew the miracles were real. In that moment, Zacchaeus knew that if he would yield his life to the will of God, Salvation would be his… forgiveness would be his… redemption would be his. Everything that was missing in his life would be restored. Zacchaeus would be transformed.
It didn’t take much. It didn’t take a hell-fire and brimstone sermon. It didn’t take an overwhelming worship service. It didn’t take a polished presentation leading him through the “plan of salvation.” All it took was a single look… a single look into the eyes of Jesus. That’s all it ever takes.
Jesus has an appointment… with you and with me. He has brought us here this morning to this place at this specific time for a reason. Maybe, like Zacchaeus, you’ve wandered far away and you desperately need to get back home. Jesus is waiting. Maybe you’ve become distracted and overwhelmed by things and you need to find the quiet center where order is restored. Jesus is waiting. Maybe you just need a gentle, reassuring touch reminding you that as a child of God you are cherished and loved. Jesus is waiting. Maybe you need to feel God’s grace wash over you, purifying you from all unrighteousness. Well, Jesus is waiting.
John GrantPage 111/29/2018