Author: Wick

A second word that comes from the story of Zacchaeus, if we’re willing to listen, is one of “salvation”.  Toward the close of this passage, we hear Jesus announce something pretty important.  Verse 9 says “Jesus said to him…” but he speaks in a way that suggests even though his face was turned toward Zacchaeus, he was saying it to the benefit of everyone around him. 

This moment contrasts the first few verses completely.  Yesterday we talked about how Zacchaeus saw himself.  The identity that he claimed as he ran, and climbed a sycamore tree.  Today we hear the identity Jesus announces over 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.”

Here we have Jesus, actually talking specifically about this thing we often get confused and grapple with, “salvation”.  He talks about salvation, and doesn’t say anything about “from hell”, or “going to heaven”.  What has happened here?

We see Zacchaeus offering to give half of his possession to the poor, and paying back those he stole from, 4 times as much as he’d taken.  But Jesus doesn’t say, “salvation has come to this house because this man is giving back a whole lot of stuff, and experiencing a healed relationship to the poor and those he’d previously taken advantage of.”

What reason does Jesus give for the salvation that is being experienced?  “..because he too is a son of Abraham.”  It has to do with being claimed as a child of God.  An identity that is offered not just to those who have grown up in church, or have never made mistakes…but to all.  An identity, that when embraced, transforms who we are and how we live in relationship to Jesus AND humanity.

Zacchaeus has been saved from a life of neglecting God, and taking advantage of his fellow man. A life focused on self, that treats others with little value, and aims to please Rome (a power/principality…remember, “our struggle is not with flesh and blood”), only leads to death and brokenness.  Jesus announces freedom from these things, and finishes the entire section in verse 10 by saying this is what He is all about.  To find people like this, who have been pushed to the side and forgotten; who the religious world finds no value in…and announce their own True identity to and about them.

Besides “not going to hell”, and “going to heaven when you die”, it asks the question in our life…”what would my verse 8 say?”  What has changed, or changes about my life that would make Jesus announce that these are the result of salvation having arrived?  Am I living as the “child of Abraham” that God proclaims me to be?

In Luke 19:1-10, we read an all too familiar story about Zacchaeus.  Even someone unfamiliar with much of the Bible has probably heard this story of a “wee little man…who climbed up in a Sycamore tree…etc”.  But in studying the scripture this past week, 3 new words from the story emerged that I’ve not paid much attention to in the past.  The first word (words) I want to flesh out a bit are the words of Jesus in verse 5, “come down”.

Jesus is looking up into the tree at Zacchaeus.  The description we have of Zacchaeus includes: Chief Tax Collector, rich (wealthy), and short.  Being a tax collector in general, he was viewed as a “traitor” by his Jewish community, for tax collectors were employees of Rome.  They could add amounts to the taxes they were required to collect, and they were allowed to keep that extra funding for themselves.  He was not simply any tax collector either, he was a Chief tax collector.  Which meant, he had several collectors working under him.  Let’s just say, he was not a welcome guest at very many parties.

The scripture tells us he was “trying to see who Jesus was”, but how he was trying to do so tells us a lot about how he viewed himself.  Verse 4 tells us that he “ran ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree”.  Imagine a short man running in what was most likely a long tunic.  Yes, “ἀναξυρίδες” (trousers) had been invented by then, but were often seen as clothing of the barbarians.  So tunic it was.  Probably having to “hike up” the edges as he ran, it was not the way a dignified man would carry himself.  Then he goes right into climbing a tree.  Men who wear tunics should not climb trees in the first place.  But this isn’t just any tree.  This is a tree that was guaranteed to be empty in that area.  A sycamore fig tree bore fruit that was most often fed to the pigs, and so the tree itself was even considered to be “unclean”.

Zacchaeus knew how people saw him.  A tax collector didn’t have confusion as to how the consensus felt about him.  He figured, they couldn’t think anything worse of him for running, and climbing a sycamore tree, eh?  Jesus approaches this man who has revealed his self-claimed identity through his actions, and begins by saying “hurry and come down”.

How often do we approach Jesus, already holding onto our identity firmly?  We know who we are.  We know how people think of us, and how we think of ourselves.  Maybe we’re the complete opposite of Zaccchaeus, feeling pretty good about ourselves and proud of what we’ve accomplished.  Perhaps we find ourselves climbing the sycamore right beside him, desperate to know more about this Jesus.

Wherever we find ourselves receiving our identities from this week, Jesus begins his words to us with “Hurry, come down…”

Quite literally.

This past month has been a journey, one that has offered us growth and revealed more about who we are as individuals, as well as a family.

It begins with the regular hobby of my wife (and some other women too?) of exploring open houses.  Dreaming about what it’d be like to have a bit more elbow room, closets in each bedroom, and sidewalks to teach our girls how to ride their bikes.  It’s not about being unsatisfied with our current home, realizing there are areas of the world, and even the U.S. where to have a home like ours is beyond the largest dream.

Which highlights one of the first major differences.  One of the things I’ve loved about my wife ever since we began dating in college, was her desire to change things.  She does not become complacent easily, and always asks the question “What could be?”.  Usually, for a guy with the personality that would be quite fine surviving in a house of any size as long as the dishes are done (my OCD coming through)…I haven’t traditionally responded well immediately.

But a few weeks ago, she was “ooooh”-ing over a particularly nice house in the historic end of town.  She even convinced me to come with her.  I went through the motions, and tried to “do” what was asked, without quite taking the endeavor seriously.  The house, after all, was beyond our “budget”, and it was a pipe dream.  I don’t enjoy looking at a car unless I’m going to drive it…that sort of thing.

Later that week, the price of the house was reduced in such a way that it became a possibility.  I caught my wife’s vision for “What could be?”, and we immediately transformed life into that of house-selling/buying.  Had a contingency offer accepted, based on selling our current home.  Then the waiting began.  We heard all sorts of advice, from “claim the property in prayer, and it’s yours”, to “if it’s God’s will, it’ll happen”, to the much more preferred by me – “guess you can just pray, and wait, and see if it happens”.

But these range of responses, along with a recently renewed practice of praying together regularly, added to the recent study of Luke 18:1-8, and we’ve had some good times.  What is the will of God, in regard to my home?  I teach that God cares about the smallest detail, and encourage teens to pray about anything their hearts are impacted by, no matter how silly.  All of this points to the fact that God hears our hearts when we pray for this move to happen.

Perhaps He will still actively move in a way that opens the door to this move.  It seems the door is closing, however, tempting us to ask the question – what was/is God up to?

In moments like this, we cling to the fact that God continues to be faithful.  Even the passage in Luke 18 doesn’t emphasize the widow “got her way” eventually.  It points to the fact that that faith was found, God’s complete Justice is coming, and encourages the disciples to not lose heart.  To keep praying, and that is the point.  We continue to be incredibly blessed, not simply because we have a home and other material comforts…but because we have a God who hears when we pray.

Like I said…maybe it’ll still happen.  But no matter what, I look forward to continuing to pray often with my family toward whatever may come….God with us. 🙂