Sermon: Bible Sunday

I am sure that we could come up with many words to describe Zacchaeus – I am equally sure that a saint would not be one of them! Having said that, of course, it would depend upon your definition of a saint and what sainthood is all about. I have three definitions of sainthood for you as I progress through the sermon today. The first comes from Eric Hoffer, who offers the following description: 

Many of the insights of a saint stem from his experience as a sinner. 

If we apply this definition to Zacchaeus, at the point when Jesus first called him to come down from the tree he had climbed, he was surely well qualified in the second half of this statement!

We know that Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and not just any tax collecto but the chief tax collector for that area – maybe for the whole city of Jericho? Of all people in Palestine tax collectors were the most hated. At the time of Jesus tax collectors were employed by the Roman authorities – as such they were regarded with mistrust and thought of a traitors by the general public. To make matters worse the taxation system left itself open to abuse. The tax collectors or “publicani” as they were called seem to have been prone to extortion and malpractice and generally had a bad reputation. It has been said that due to the complexity of the system a tax collector could stop a man on the road unpack his goods and more or less charge him what he liked! Tax collectors could also offer to lend money if payment could not be made, and of course would charge exorbitant rates of interest. Adding all of these things together it is little wonder that robbers, murderers and tax collectors were classed together.

So then, Zacchaeus, being a chief tax collector, was obviously very rich, having everything going for him – no doubt servants, a lovely house and plenty of food.

He would not have been liked by the people but I find it hard to believe that he was lonely and an outcast which we are sometimes given the impression of. He would have been associated with the ruling Roman classes and so it seems doubtful that he would have been too worried about being unpopular.

Could it be that he was feeling pangs of conscience about the way he was treating people? Did he feel an “outcast” in the religious sense (he would have most certainly ben barred from the synagogue). If this was the case maybe he saw in Jesus a way back to God. Perhaps he had heard about Jesus, this miracle worker, teacher and personality who was deeply spiritual and yet associated with tax collectors and sinners. It would be understandable that all these things would make him curious. Did he feel that there was something lacking in his life – was he in need in some way feeling that Jesus could fulfil that need? Was he in some way dissatisfied with his life – seemingly possessing everything and yet recognising that God shaped hole that needed to be filled.

Whatever his reasons, one thing is certain, he could never in his wildest dreams have expected Jesus to invite himself to his house that very day! It was a moment that would change his life!

 No man can advance three paces on the road to perfection unless Jesus Christ walks beside him. (Robert H. Benson)

Sainthood is not about being perfect but is to be travelling along the road with Jesus as our companion. Zacchaeus was certainly not perfect – Jesus would have known this full well. But Jesus offered Zacchaeus a hand of friendship – a public display of friendship, in fact, through sharing in a meal with him. Interestingly Jesus didn’t set down any demands about how Zacchaeus should change his ways before Jesus would share table fellowship with him. The meal was to be shared, but we know that Zacchaeus’ response was to make amends for the money he had taken wrongfully. Within the presence of Jesus he recognised the error of his ways – however, he probably knew this already! Perhaps then, it wasn’t so much the recognition of these faults that Jesus brought to their friendship but rather bringing about in Zacchaeus the courage to change and be transformed. Jesus exclaimed, “today salvation has come to this house” – salvation, new life lived in the power of God’s love. Zacchaeus may have been overwhelmed by his sense of guilt and shame in terms of the lifestyle he had chosen. But we also notice that it was not shame and a sense of obligation that brought about his response. Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus gladly – he returned all of his ill gotten gains joyfully – it was not something that he felt he had to do – rather it was the outworking of the joy of his salvation – that something which had been missing, the God shaped hole, had been filled. The moment Zacchaeus responded to Jesus invitation he began to travel in the company of Jesus along the road to sainthood a road that inevitably brings about change and transformation into the likeness of Christ. The road to sainthood is perhaps the wrong phrase to use because it tends to suggest that we only become a saint after we have died. The road of sainthood is better. Saints are people like you and me travelling our earthly life with Jesus as our companion; saints are also that great cloud of witnesses who have passed beyond this life on earth but now share a closer companionship with Jesus in heaven. Just as Jesus overcame death on the cross to rise to a new and transformed life on Easter morning – so the saints in heaven share in the promises of Jesus and his risen life.

Saints are persons who make it easier for others to believe in God. (Nathan Soderblom) 

When the “good” people (as opposed to the tax collectors and sinners) were grumbling and complaining about the way Jesus befriended Zacchaeus Jesus responded by saying: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”

We were recently privileged to be given a talk and presentation by some of the team of Wrexham Street Pastors. It was a very moving, inspiring, humbling and challenging experience. They were eager to explain that their overarching aim was not to preach but rather to care. This was a constant source of surprise to the people they met on the streets late at night.

They left us with a challenge. How can we be light and salt? How can we be instrumental in bringing the colour and flavour of God’s Kingdom within our own communities?

As they recounted some of their experiences it was quite evident that they were people who made it easier for others to believe in God.

We don’t know, but I like to think that Zacchaeus, himself, would have been someone who would now potentially have the ability to make it easier for others to believe in God.  Why? Because he knew that he was a sinner – he knew he had done things wrong, he knew that he was not perfect, but by his actions he was now showing that he had changed – rather he was in the process of being changed. If he developed some kind f self righteous attitude because he had now given back the money he had gained unfairly then he would have no credibility. Actions speak much louder than words. If, on the other hand, he acted with a sense of humility following the example of Jesus graciousness then what a powerful witness he would be. If Jesus had such an effect upon someone like Zacchaeus – then Jesus can have a life changing affect upon anybody and everybody. 

As we think of Zacchaeus today and reflect upon his story let us remember those three definitions of sainthood.

Many of the insights of a saint stem from his experience as a sinner. (Eric Hoffer)

No man can advance three paces on the road to perfection unless Jesus Christ walks beside him. (Robert H. Benson)

Saints are persons who make it easier for others to believe in God. (Nathan Soderblom) 

As we have applied them to Zacchaeus let us, over this week, try to apply them to ourselves and consider what kind of saint on earth we may be!