Zacchaeus makes his appearance today. I would like to point out a few things in the account we normally don’t focus on.
Often when I blog these thoughts I feel like I am simply repeating what you have already read. There are times when I don’t have anything to add to the story, and so I just begin typing and sort of “rambling in print”. I don’t consider notes of this kind to be a waste however, because there is a parallel practice which occurs when trying to get children to open up about something they don’t want to share. You place crayons in front of them and allow them to draw whatever they want. Often, what they draw offers a clue to their thoughts. At times, I consider my notes here my very own paper and crayons….perhaps someday I or someone else will look back on these comments and be able to diagnose what was going on in my head. Good luck.
Today what catches my mind is the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the ministry of Jesus. He calls Zach by name, even though we aren’t led to believe he already knew him. I suppose he could have known him, or known of him; after all, Zach wasn’t just a tax collector, he was the chief tax collector and he had become very rich. Emphasis on VERY. There’s really only one way to become rich when collecting and reporting the taxes of others, and that’s to collect more than you should, or to keep what you were supposed to turn in. Since the Romans weren’t known to tolerate people who tried to exploit them, I would suggest that Zach made sure they got their “fair share” and he took more from the people who had no recourse against him. This could be one reason he couldn’t find a place near the front of the crowd…they didn’t like him. Maybe word of the corrupt tax collector that everyone hated had reached the ears of Jesus. Maybe not. We simply don’t know.
Either way, Jesus knows his name. (I am counting that as evidence of the gift of knowledge from the Holy Spirit). Secondly, did you catch that Jesus says “I must be a guest in your home today” in verse 5? What did Jesus mean when he said “I must”? Who has the authority to compel Jesus to do anything? Only God the Father and only through the Holy Spirit. You and I can occasionally change God’s mind or course of action based on our prayers…but we can’t compel God to do anything. In this case, Jesus is compelled to eat with Zacchaeus, quite possibly a man he has never met. This tells me that the Holy Spirit can give us strong convictions about what we are supposed to do moment by moment. If we are listening closely, the Spirit can and will guide us. Jesus wasn’t praying about who to go and visit while he was walking along, Zach caught his eye, and in that moment He knew two things: this is Zacchaeus, and I must go to eat with him today. And Jesus immediately acted on both pieces of information. I think we see this happening many more times on the pages of Scripture. When Jesus heals the man by the pool in Bethesda (John 5) there were certainly others around him who weren’t healed. Why this one man? In John 9 when He heals the man who was born blind from birth the disciples ask him if the man was born blind because of his sin, or his parents sin. Jesus responds with knowledge that comes direct from heaven when he says “this happened so the power of God could be revealed in his life today” (my paraphrase)
These two things that happen in Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus remind me of the importance…no, the absolute necessity of operating with sensitivity to and in harmony with the Holy Spirit. By Jesus’ own words, we will do all the things He did, and even greater things. Therefore, I should pray for, and expect to see and hear the Holy Spirit directing me day by day, moment by moment.
This is getting a little long, but I think I should comment on the 10 servants, since they don’t appear elsewhere. There is a similar account in Matthew 25, but it isn’t the same.
So, what about these servants? Well, we only hear about 3 of them and 10 were given money. Things go downhill so fast that we don’t need to hear from the other seven…we get it. If Jesus gives you something, then you’d better use it to produce, or you are in trouble.
Of course this applies to the spiritual gifts that God has given each of us, we should be putting them to use and seeing a return on the investment. But the recognition on and correct use of spiritual gifts is often sort of fuzzy. I think there is a more plain meaning here: What are you doing with the good news that Jesus entrusted to you? You know the pathway to heaven, have you shared it with others? Are you using your talents, gifts and abilities to make sure those who respond in faith are well grounded and continue in their journey towards Christ? I think what Jesus is looking for here is an exponential number of souls saved, not a collection of buildings, or books with your name on the cover. I don’t think Jesus will be impressed by our popularity or our lack of it….only by how we have used whatever we were given to make disciples. You and I were given a wonderful, eternal gift and we should be sharing it as freely as it was shared with us.
The Master has gone away to heaven, but He will return. There are many who reject the idea that Jesus is God, and by the tone of this account, they will be punished severely, even killed, when he returns. This idea that we should be sharing and making disciples isn’t a “feel good” addition to our faith. It is absolutely necessary if we want to be in good standing with Christ when He returns. Don’t miss the significance of this!
Serving Jesus, and learning more every day about how to make disciples.
PR