Redemption for Zacchaeus - and for us

Habakkuk 1: 1-4
Luke 19: 1-10

Zacchaeus is a sinner desiring to be saved. He was a rich man that became a tax collector because it would gain him more riches in the town of Jericho. And he did become very rich and very hated. Tax collectors were known to charge the people more than they needed to and kept the extra for themselves. Rome did not care as long as the taxes were paid. There was corruption throughout the tax profession, not unlike today, and Zacchaeus was a man who had taken advantage of the situation and the people.

However, on that dusty day in that town, Jesus arrived and everything changed like it usually does when Jesus comes to us. Zacchaeus had heard of this prophet man who walked with 12 men he called his disciples, but he'd never seen him before. He'd heard this man performs miracles and some others whispered that he was the Messiah. Zacchaeus wasn't sure about all of that, but he was incredibly curious about this man who was both loved and loathed in equal measure by the people.

You see, Zacchaeus was hated. He was hated with a passion and that meant despite his high position, despite his power and authority, he was not respected and he was not loved by anyone. In the passage we read today it said that Zacchaeus was small of stature and because he climbs a tree everyone assumes they meant he was short. But it's possible the passage can be read that his life was one of sin and he was not looked upon highly by others. In fact, many looked down upon him for his actions.

Zacchaeus had taken the easy road to make his money. He did not try to earn it through hard work and determination. He earned it through other people's hard work and sweat. If he hadn't taken advantage of this chance, then someone else would have. He reasoned away his doubts and insecurities and convinced himself he was not a bad guy; he was just a smart businessman. However, it is hard to reason away the scornful looks and disgust he saw on so many people's faces when he walked by them. And so, when he hears about this man that the Pharisees also look down upon, but the crowds seemed to enjoy so much - he became very curious about him.

Could it be that this man was truly the Messiah- the Anointed One of God? He went out to see for himself what was so special about this man called Jesus. There was a huge crowd that day and everyone was beckoning and clamoring to see Jesus as he walked by. Some in the crowd were singing, others were crying, and still others were muttering hateful words as he walked into town. People that were sick lined the street calling out to him, "Please, heal us!" and others were yelling obscenities at this man who thought he was so powerful and good. Poor Zacchaeus, who only wanted a glimpse of this man, could not get through such a crowd!

He pushed and he shoved, but because of who he was he found that he was on the outside looking in. He was on the fringes of this crowd with no way inside to see this man that intrigued him so much. Instead of giving up, he looks around and notices this big sycamore tree up ahead. "Yes!" he thought, "I will climb that tree and as Jesus passes by I will see this man and decide for myself what is so special about him!"

And so he began to ran, and then he climbed up, heedless of his expensive clothes and the dirt and tears he was putting into his clothes in his eagerness to see. Jesus began to walk by him and suddenly, he stops and looks up. "Zacchaeus" Jesus calls, "Come down here because I am going to your house today."

Jesus knew his name! How did he know who he was?! He had called out to him and invited him into his home! That was a serious breach in etiquette. Not only should he not sit with a tax collector and obvious sinner because to have dinner with one such as him was to say he was equal to Jesus, but a person never invited themselves without a proper invitation first. But Jesus once again forgets about etiquette and rules and laws because he has seen a sinner that needed saving. A sinner who had been so eager to glimpse Jesus that he had forsaken his dignity to climb a tree.

Jesus knows your name just as he knew Zacchaeus' name. He also knows exactly where you are at in your life and he is still calling out to you to come down from whatever sins have kept you from him because today, he wants to be with you. When Jesus calls out to us, like the crowd around him there will be people that will scoff and scorn. They will say things like, "No one could forgive the mistakes you have made!" "You are not good enough to be loved like we are loved!" "Jesus would never pick YOU out of everyone else he could choose!" But Jesus, he looks at us and he does not see the past. He does not see the sins. He sees a lost soul that needs him desperately and like the gentle Savior he is - he reaches out and enfolds us into his loving arms and his heart.

When Jesus did this for Zacchaeus, he came down and kneeled before Jesus and when the crowds began to mutter angrily, he stood up and said loudly for all to hear that he was going to make amends. He would give away half of all he owned and make reparations for all he had cheated not once, but four times as much as he had taken he would give! As Jesus looked on, Zacchaeus repented of his sins and turned back to God, and with a smile Jesus gave Zacchaeus the most precious gift of all, the gift of eternal salvation.

When Jesus calls us, we need to respond the way Zacchaeus did. Zacchaeus saw in Jesus a beauty that went beyond what a human could possess. In Jesus' eyes he saw his own hope of a better life; one where he was no longer hated and feared and disrespected, but instead he was accepted, wanted, and loved. In Jesus' eyes, Zacchaeus was no longer an awful sinner, but a perfect human being. This is what God sees when he looks at each of us because he looks through the eyes of Christ; the one who died to save us all.

When we fully grasp the love Christ has for us, it is hard not to respond in kind. When people love us unconditionally, it is hard to be mean to them or to turn away from them or to not listen when they speak to us. Zacchaeus found pure love in Jesus and he responds with pure love toward him and toward the crowd of people he had hurt for a long time. We never hear what happens to Zacchaeus and if he is ever accepted back into the town as one of them Perhaps because it doesn't need to be said since once we welcome Jesus into our heart, his acceptance is all that matters to us. The focus is instead on the fact that Jesus has come to save the lost no matter their station in life and no matter how evil their crimes against humanity.

But this passage is a reminder to us that no matter where we are at in our life, it is never too late to respond to Jesus' love for us. We don't always do as God demands; we do not always listen to the Holy Spirit's voice. We turn away from Jesus to do what is convenient and easy. Today, we are shown that Jesus does not let our sins stop him from calling out to us.

"Come down from your sinful perch," he calls to us, "because today I want to spend time with you." Jesus is calling you by name. May you respond the way Zacchaeus did and may your life be forever changed because of it!

Amen.