Sunday, October 31

Thirty-rst Sunday in Ordinary Time

Weekly Theme
Transforming Love

Weekly Prayer
In your Son you seek out and save the lost, O God, and invite us to the banquet of your
eternal home. Visit your people with the joy of salvation that we may rejoice in the riches
of your forgiveness and reach out in welcome to share with others the feast of your love.
Amen.

Focus Scripture
Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he
was a chief tax-collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on
account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead
and climbed a sycomore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When
Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come
down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to
welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest
of one who is a sinner." Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my
possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I
will pay back four times as much." Then Jesus said to 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."

Reection
by Kate Huey

One last outcast on the way to Jerusalem: Zacchaeus, whose name means "clean" or
"innocent," is, surprisingly, unclean and a sinner. (Aren't we used to such reversals by
now in the Gospel of Luke?) However, Jesus is really the main character in this little
story: while the tax collector is scrambling to see him (surely it took more than curiosity
to make him sacrice his dignity by running and climbing a tree), Jesus is seeking
Zacchaeus, this "non-person" shunned and hated by the crowd. The people have good
reason for their hatred, since tax collectors are traitors, instruments of Rome's
oppression, and this is a "chief" tax collector. (We may all be sinners, but this one is a
really, really bad sinner.) He's also rich, so he has presumably extracted his wealth from
his own people. A few chapters back, though, we learned how dear to the heart of God
"the lost" are, in stories of lost sheep, lost coins, a lost son, all worth going after and
looking for because they are so greatly valued by the seeker. Zacchaeus may be hated
by the crowd, but he is loved and valued by Jesus, who has come to nd him. Perhaps
Jesus asks around to nd out the name of that fellow up in the tree. It's "who Jesus is"
to seek the lost, including us: it is his mission. This is also a story about joy, for
Zacchaeus joyfully welcomes Jesus, in contrast to the rich ruler who walked away sad
from his encounter with Jesus, because he couldn't let go of his possessions even to
know joy and peace. The gospel is certainly "good news" for Zacchaeus: nothing less
than salvation--healing and wholeness and restoration--has come this very day not just
personally to him but to his entire household. It requires the grace of God for the rich to
enter the kingdom of God, we recall, nothing less than a miracle. It's a good thing that
"with God, all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26), including miracles!

All Readings For This Sunday
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 with Psalm 119:137-144 or
Isaiah 1:10-18 with Psalm 32:1-7 and
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 and
Luke 19:1-10

Focus Questions

1. Why do you think Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so much that he sacriced his
dignity?

2. Does giving your money away bring joy, or anxiety, or regret, or something else?

3. What sort of experience would inspire enough trust to offer half of our possessions to
the poor?

4. What would it require for you to be "independent" of your money?

5. What does "binding the world together" look like in your life and community?

Reection
by Kate Huey

One last outcast on the way to Jerusalem: Zacchaeus, whose name means "clean" or
"innocent," is, surprisingly, unclean and a sinner. (Aren't we used to such reversals by
now in the Gospel of Luke?) This little story strikes many familiar notes, especially from
the previous chapter: we read of Zacchaeus trying to "see" Jesus, and remember the
blind man Jesus just healed (despite obstacles, both seem to have a keen sense of who
Jesus is); we hear that Zacchaeus is rich, and remember the rich ruler who was sad
because he couldn't part with his wealth; we hear that Zacchaeus is small and blocked
by the crowd, and remember the children who were kept back by the disciples but were
recognized and drawn in by Jesus; we hear that Zacchaeus is a tax collector, and
remember the tax collector praying humbly in the Temple in Jesus' parable; we read of
Zacchaeus' persistence in seeing Jesus and hear him press his own case against the
crowd, and remember the widow who wouldn't give up pleading her case; we read that
nding "the lost" like Zacchaeus is what the Son of Man came to do, and remember the
twelve who failed to "grasp what was said" when Jesus tried to tell them what lay ahead
for the Son of Man.

Jesus is really the main character in this story about Zacchaeus. While the tax collector
is scrambling to see him (surely it took more than curiosity to make him sacrice his
dignity by running and by climbing a tree), Jesus is seeking Zacchaeus, this "non-
person" shunned and hated by the crowd. The people have good reason for their
hatred, since tax collectors are traitors, instruments of Rome's oppression, and this is a
"chief" tax collector. (We may all be sinners, but this one is a really, really bad sinner.)
He's also rich, so he has presumably extracted his wealth from his own people. A few
chapters back, though, we learned how dear to the heart of God "the lost" are, in stories
of lost sheep, lost coins, a lost son, all worth going after and looking for because they
are so greatly valued by the seeker. "Not simply clever or perplexing stories," these
accounts "live at the heart of God's purpose of salvation," Sharon Ringe writes.
Zacchaeus may be hated by the crowd, but he is loved and valued by Jesus, who has
come to nd him. Perhaps Jesus asks around to nd out the name of that fellow up in
the tree. It's "who Jesus is" to seek the lost, including us: it is his mission. You might
even say that seeking the lost is the point of it all.

A story of generosity and joy

This is also a story about joy, a theme that runs through the Gospel of Luke just as
much as the theme of reversals. Zacchaeus is happy, not afraid, to welcome Jesus into
his home. It's a new day for the tax collector, who feels God's mercy and love reaching
him through the love and acceptance of Jesus. The gospel is certainly "good news" for
him: nothing less than salvation--healing and wholeness and restoration--has come this
very day not just personally to him but to his entire household (another theme in Luke).
Zacchaeus joyfully welcomes Jesus, in contrast to the rich ruler who walked away from
Jesus, sad, because he couldn't let go of his possessions even to know joy and peace.
It requires the grace of God for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, we recall, nothing
less than a miracle: "Zacchaeus, then, represents the miracle," and he gives away
extravagantly more than what is required, "symbolizing his independence from his
money," writes Charles Cousar.

"Binding the world together"

We might imagine many things about this story: why does Zacchaeus rst want to see
Jesus so badly? Do his people accept this "son of Abraham" after Jesus leaves?
Perhaps the most interesting question concerns the conversion of Zacchaeus. Some
folks think that it's Jesus' visit, and the grace of God, that move him to promise to give
away half of his money to the poor and to make lavish restitution where needed. They
translate his verbs in the future tense. Others claim that a present tense is appropriate,
and that Zacchaeus is honestly claiming to be an observant Jew. Richard Swanson
presses this case persuasively, writing about the ritual of separation and exclusion
necessary to mark off a faithful Israel; the ritual of hospitality that makes it an honor for
Jesus to visit; and the ritual of caring for the poor, which is really "binding the world
together." The surprise in this story is that the outcast is the observant one. "This is a
scene of revelation, not of redemption," writes Swanson. Yes, it's the grace of God at
work, but perhaps God has been working on Zacchaeus for quite a while. And John
Pilch believes Zacchaeus is describing his "repeated, customary practice," not
something he's going to start doing now: Zacchaeus "converted earlier and was
misjudged by the grumbling Pharisees. Even in antiquity the only exercise some people
got was jumping to conclusions."

Then there is the question of our own response to this text and the questions it
provokes in our lives. During stewardship season, we read through the lens of giving to
the church so that we might participate in transforming the world, so that we might "bind
the world together" through the ministry of our local congregation and the whole United
Church of Christ. Many, many passages in the Gospels (and the whole Bible) are about
money and possessions, the poor and justice, abundance and generosity. Jesus, for
one, isn't afraid to talk about money. He uses it metaphorically and addresses it
concretely: he tells the rich ruler to give it away, and rejoices when Zacchaeus shares
the story of his own giving (something of an early "witnessing steward"). When we
reect on the sadness of the rich ruler who held on to his money, and the joy of
Zacchaeus, who gives it away, do we hunger for that kind of joy and that depth of trust?
Would we, too, like to be "independent" of our money: a somewhat different connotation
to the phrase, "independently wealthy"?

Not caught in the system after all

There is, nally, the uncomfortable question of our role in the suffering of others
because of economic injustice, our failure to share freely, like Zacchaeus. One could
make a case that Zacchaeus is stuck in such a system and sincerely wants to make
reparation for his gain from it. He understands that he can't just enjoy the benets of a
bad system and not do something about those who suffer from his enjoyment. Perhaps
the most difcult reality is that we who live and participate in and benet from an unjust
and hurtful system (as Zacchaeus did) are not able to claim personal holiness if we turn
away from seeing our complicity in such a system. "The fact is," Fred Craddock writes,
that "one is not privately righteous while participating in a corrupt system that robs and
crushes other persons." Perhaps one answer to the question about Zacchaeus is that
he responded wholeheartedly to God's radical grace in his life, just as we're invited to
respond to our encounter with Jesus and to God's grace in our lives with free, abundant,
faithful generosity, and in so doing, to experience our own lives, and the life of the world,
transformed. Like Zacchaeus, we will nd that nothing is the same any more.

A preaching version of this commentary (with references) can be found on http://
www.ucc.org/worship/samuel

For further reection

Simone Weil, 20th century:
All the goods of this worldare nite and limited and radically incapable of satisfying
the desire that perpetually burns within us for an innite and perfect good.

Michael W. Smith, 21st century:
I think if the church did what they were supposed to do we wouldn't have anyone
sleeping on the streets.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes, 20th century:
Ours is not the task of xing the entire world at once, but of stretching out to mend the
part of the world that is within our reach.

Rabbi Harold Kushner, 20th century:
When you carry out acts of kindness you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is as though
something inside your body responds and says, yes, this is how I ought to feel.

Verna J. Dozier, 20th century
The important question to ask is not, "What do you believe?" but "What difference does
it make that you believe?" Does the world come nearer to the dream of God because of
what you believe?

****

Weekly Seeds is a source for Bible study based on the readings of the "Lectionary," a
plan for weekly Bible readings in public worship used in Protestant, Anglican and
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You're welcome to reprint this resource and use in your congregation's Bible-study
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Weekly Seeds is a service of the Congregational Vitality Initiative, Local Church
Ministries, United Church of Christ. Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard
Version, 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The
Revised Common Lectionary is 1992 Consultation on Common Texts. Used by
permission.
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Pentecost 23C. 2007
Luke 19:1-10


A Liturgy is also available

REFLECTIONS ON SOME SYCAMORE THEOLOGY

There are some stories in the Bible that are really good to tell.
One such made-up story, is the story of Zacchaeus.

According to Luke our storyteller, Zacchaeus was one of those people
Jesus seemed to like being around.
Its hard to put a label on Zacchaeus. Tradition has it:
hes short;
hes rich;
hes probably none too popular with his neighbours.
Hard to say.

Maybe he was picked on in the school ground when he was a young kid.
Maybe thats why he so gladly took up the position as a toll collector,
working his way to the top of the toll collecting franchise.

The bloke who skimmed off the top of those who skimmed off the top!

oo0oo

So with the help of others, lets imagine the scene

Theres a line of people gathered along Main street.
The sun is beating down.

Theres a rumour that this Jesus from Nazareth
has given sight back to the old blind fellow who lives down by the city gate.
Zacchaeus, curious, and not wanting to miss the show,
looks for some spot where he can get a good look at the procession
as it makes its way through Jericho and on up to Jerusalem.

He asks a few people if he could squeeze past,
but he soon realises his lack of popularity
makes it difcult to request favours for a ring-side seat.

Theres no way the crowd is going to let him in even for a quick look-see.

He looks around him at the trees that lined the street
and runs towards one as fast as he can.
He grasps a lower branch rmly in his hands and pulls himself up.

As he continues on his climb up the tree he hears someone call out
Hey look at the little bird followed by bursts of laughter.
Someone else calls out that his nose looks like a beak
and the crowd erupts into more hoots and laughter.

Zacchaeus looks down at the faces in the crowd staring up at him.
Peasants he thinks to himself, as he makes himself comfortable...

As comfortable as one can while straddling a branch
four metres off the ground.

In a few minutes the Jesus-procession makes its way around a corner.

Suddenly, Jesus stops.
People bump into one another in surprise
as the momentum of the crowd is broken.

Jesus looks around him, his brow furrowed.
Then he lifts his head skyward, or treeward to be more precise,
and aims his gaze directly towards Zacchaeus.

Give him hell preacher! someone yelled out as Jesus opened his mouth to speak.
Tell him to wise up!
Clean up his act!
Get out of town!

But instead Jesus said: Hey Zacchaeus, get down here!

Again the crowd looks up at the little man on his branch.

Zacchaeus scans the crowd,
taking pride and delight in being singled out by this intelligent rabbi.
Indeed, he must be a prophet, Zacchaeus thinks to himself,
for he has recognised my position and authority in this city over this rabble.

As Zacchaeus tries to scramble down out of the tree,
he feels its branches tugging at his cloak.
Hes a little self conscious now.
Its one thing to have all the attention focused on you because of your authority or your
wealth.
Its another to have everyones attention,
and I mean everyones attention, directed at you,
while you are trying to scramble down a tree.

He reaches the ground and brushes himself off,
trying to straighten himself out so as to appear with some dignity.
Come on, lets go, Jesus commands with good humour.
Were hungry.

Thats when everything went quiet.
A buzz went around the crowd.

For a smart young preacher, he sure doesnt know much about people!
He cant be serious!
There isnt a bigger crook in the country!

But he was serious. This was no joke. It caused a scandal.

oo0oo

Let me offer these couple of comments in passing.

We do an injustice to the story
if we reduce it to the cheap category of a wonder conversion.
This story is not about a so-called soul being saved, as one popular Biblical translation
puts it,
but about transformation with revolutionary implications...

Preserved by people who cried out for justice,
and heavily biased towards compassion and change.

Barry Robinson in his eMail sermon The gospel in sycamore, puts it this way:
What bothered the good people of Jericho was not so much what Jesus had to say...
but the way he said it.

It is one thing to believe in loving your neighbour, to believe in welcoming the lost, to
believe in forgiving the guilty; but it is
quite another thing to practice what you preach, to actually practice doing it . That's
what bothered people about Jesus.

He not only said that we should love God and one another. He actually went out and
did it. He didn't just say God's embrace
was wide enough to welcome everyone, he actually went out and embraced people no
one else would.

It upset the balance. It was too unsettling to the way things were.

The labelling of people to dene the boundaries was not important to Jesus.
He just welcomed people aboard.

Because that's what Jesus seemed to be about:
nding and rejoicing and making whole.

My hope is, people will still want to stand on table tops
and climb trees, and go out on a limb!

Acknowledgement is made of Barry Robinson, William Loader and Eric Muirhead who
have helped seed the ideas and narrative for this sermon. My contribution was to
weave their thoughts together.
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