Zacchaeus, an honest man? (Luke 19:10)

Today’s Readings: Luke 19:1-10

For the Son of Man came to seek and to liberate the lost.

Zacchaeus lived an exorbitant life style. He would certainly make the list as one of the ‘rich and famous’ today. He was, after all, not just a tax collector, but one of the head tax collectors. He could wear the title Regional Director of the IRS in our system, with a few minor exceptions. For one, he didn’t work for the people from which he drew taxes. Supposedly, the IRS works for us. Zacchaeus worked for the occupying government of Caesar and used his soldiers to enforce the tax.

Second, Zacchaeus’ salary didn’t come from Rome, from the central treasury of the government, budgeted by an approved process from the Senate. His salary came from the excess collected above the amount demanded by the Roman government. Whatever came into his pockets above the amount required by the Roman government paid his band of collectors, like Matthew, and then the rest went into his pocket for his salary and whatever extra there might be. Sounds like a system ripe for corruption, doesn’t it.

We might wonder how Zacchaeus knew Jesus was coming into town and why as tax collector he would find interest in him. It’s easy to know the coming part. While telephones didn’t exist in Jesus’ day, telegraph and internet weren’t even inklings of thought, information moved. It moved at the speed of feet. Runner took news everywhere. Sometimes on horseback, but more often just by the constant plod of fast runners, news spread from town to town about the more important activities of the ancient world. With the news of this miracle worker in the area, no doubt people knew he was on his way no matter which direction he traveled.

So the next question, why the interest? I think it had a lot to do with Matthew. I expect Zacchaeus probably knew the disciple. Maybe Matthew even worked as one of his collectors. The number of tax collectors wasn’t that large. That amount of money flowing to Rome wouldn’t be entrusted to a large number of people, so it wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary to think the two knew each other and may have been friends if not associates or other work relationships. So the questions Zacchaeus might have: What about this man would cause Matthew to give up everything to follow Him? Why would he give up a lucrative business and assured wealth to follow a radical teacher? Could he entice Matthew back before he had to train someone to take his place?

Jesus had Zacchaeus in mind before He came to Jericho. Did he go there as a favor to Matthew? We don’t know. We know Zacchaeus took Jesus home with him in more ways than one. It also sounds to me like Zacchaeus served as a pretty honest tax collector. He must have been a fairly shrewd businessman for Rome to select him as head of their collectors in the region. His promise also hints at his honesty. “I’ll give back four times what I took, if I cheated anyone.” That’s pretty bold in restitution. I don’t expect he had to pay very many people back that four-fold payment.

So we learn several things from the story of Zacchaeus. Jesus seeks us out. We find Him when we seek Him. He came for the sinners, the lost. He came to save, to free us from the bondage of evil.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:11)

Today’s Readings: Luke 18:9-14

Once inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other people—crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral—like this tax collector over here.

I’m teaching and recording a ministerial course right now on sharing Christ across cultural boundaries. One of the lessons discusses two extreme responses to different cultures that is apropos for this situation, I think. One is called cultural relativism which says every culture is okay, when in Rome, do as the Romans, accept every culture completely for what it is without criticism. The other is ethnocentrism which measure every other culture by your “superior” culture.

Both extreme approaches in viewing cultures are flawed. And every culture is flawed. All of us find ourselves profoundly influenced and molded by the culture in which we live, work, and worship, but because sin entered the world and we became flawed because of sin, the cultures we develop hold those same flawed concepts.

So, the Pharisee with all his piety becomes pious and his religion becomes his prideful downfall. He takes a view that his religion makes him better than those around him. His culture sets him apart as better than the tax collector who kneels at the altar near him. Surely God sees the difference between the two of them, and the Pharisee thanks God for the distinct superiority he holds in his goodness.

God has a problem with the Pharisee’s prayer. The Pharisee forgot he doesn’t come close to meeting God’s standard of goodness. In comparison, the Pharisee is much closer to the tax collector in terms of behavior than he is to God. We are all sinners and can’t live the standards God sets in our own strength. In fact, Jesus said the tax collector found himself closer to God than the Pharisee because he at least knew his position. The Pharisee did not.

The story is about humility and pride. It is also about being careful not to assume other’s position with God. And about prayer. The story tells us we all sin and fall short of God’s standard of right living. It tells us we should all take the position of the tax collector, sinner in God’s eyes, needing His forgiveness, needing His help.

The story is much more than the different cultures of the two, but it’s easy to start there. It’s easy for us to think ourselves better than others because of where we live, the color of our skin, the house we live in, or the car we drive. It might be the gang with which we associate or the job where we work or any number of things that describe our culture or subculture that makes us think we are different or better than another. But we must always remember we are nothing without the blood of Jesus. Until we become citizens of the Kingdom of God where only His culture matters, we live far below what God has in store for us.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Right Foundations – Follow the Instructions! (Luke 6/47)

Today’s Readings: Luke 6:47-49

What matters is that you come to Me, hear My words, and actually live by them.

Several (like 25) years ago, Santa was running a little behind schedule so he asked me to assemble one of my kids toys for him before it went under the tree on Christmas morning. A piece of cake…I thought. How hard could it be to put a kid’s toy together? Especially since it required only a screwdriver and a hammer to assemble. Little did I know that Santa must be a genius of extraordinary proportion to put all those toys together on time! Or maybe he knows some of us foolish enough to say “Yes” to a request for help.

My problem didn’t stem from the complexity of the parts or the number of parts. The trouble didn’t come from things not fitting or the manufacturer leaving something out. My problem happened when I failed to read the instruction with the steps outlined with big bold numbers. You see, in my confidence in being able to assemble this simple toy, I did step five before step four. And therein lies the problem. You can’t undo step five. It was one of those parts that goes on one time and is never supposed to come off again.

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I didn’t read the instructions and my step four sat in front of me begging for assembly to make everything right. But I didn’t do what the instructions said to do, so I just sat looking at the rest of the parts to see if maybe some loophole in the instructions existed. Maybe the writers didn’t really mean the warning they put in instructions that said, “Assemble in the proper order, some steps cannot be reversed.”

If only I didn’t have such confidence in my abilities (which felt pretty slim by this point)! If only I hadn’t thrown those instructions to the side when I started. If only I had read that warning at the front. If only I had read any of it!!!

Hours later I got the stupid toy together. As I recall, some nuts and bolts instead of the invisible fasteners, a little touch up paint, and lots of frustration finally won the day, but not without learning that instructions really are important, even for the simplest assemblies.

So how important to read life’s instruction book? How important to come to the Author of life and listen to His words? How important to actually DO what He says to do? If we can learn the importance of using the instructions when assembling simple kid’s toys, why is it so hard for us to understand life would run so much smoother if we followed His instructions? So often I kick myself back into shape remembering that Christmas Eve as Santa’s helper and remember what happens when I don’t follow the instructions. Then I diligently get back into God’s word to make sure I’m following His recipes for life. He knows the answers. He’s been through everything I will ever face. And He came through unscathed. That doesn’t mean He didn’t suffer pain and sorrow, but He wasn’t marred by sin. He didn’t succumb to the world’s definitions of success. He showed us how to live more abundantly.

Read His instruction book, then do what it says. You’ll be amazed at how life smooths out for you.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

What Does It Mean? (Acts 2:12)

Today’s Readings: Jeremiah 15-17; Acts 1:15-2:13

Sounds, flames, different languages, bold preaching from uneducated men. What does this mean? It’s Pentecost! Pilgrims from all across the Roman Empire gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate this important day, the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai to Moses. Something extraordinary happens in the room where Jesus’ disciples gathered to pray. They obeyed His command to stay until they “received power from above.” They didn’t understand how it would come. They didn’t know what it would be. They didn’t really know what it meant. But when it came, there was no mistaking it.

The sound of a mighty, rushing wind…with no wind blowing. A flame pouring into the room then splitting apart and resting on each person’s head. And each person speaking a language they didn’t know, but languages others would understand as they left the room and share the message of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection to the crowd in the street. Luke lists at least thirteen different languages in his narrative. Thirteen languages these uneducated fishermen, tax collectors, farmers, shopkeepers, and everyday men and women should not know. Yet as they spoke, those who heard them understood every word.

Does this kind of miracle still happen today? I think it does…if we allow God to use us as He wants. He hasn’t changed since the beginning of time. I think what has changed is our willingness to really commit everything to Him in full obedience to His will. We say the right words. We use the right language and dress up nice, but do we really give ourselves to Him lock, stock, and barrel? Too often, the answer is no. Too often, we say a little prayer, cry a few tears, then pick up where we left off and go about our lives as if nothing happened.

The disciples, 120 of them, spent ten days together in intense prayer and fasting. Luke says they came together “in one accord.” I think that means they got over themselves. They ironed out every disagreement between them. All the trivial junk that seems to plague our relationships, they figured out just that, trivial junk and they put it all behind them. They got down to business with God and decided that whatever He wanted, they were willing to give up everything for Him…everything.

Only then did the Holy Spirit come on the scene in such a miraculous way. Yes He came in a way that could never be forgotten partly as a celebration of this new era, this new dispensation…the birth of the church. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Advocate would now live in us as Jesus promised. But that empowerment, that extraordinary presence, that ability to do things like we read in Acts, is it still around today? Yep, I think so. But are we willing to pay the price? Are we, like the apostles and those early disciples, willing to give everything to God and say yes to Him in every circumstance? That’s what it means!

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Ditto, Don’t Be Afraid (Luke 2:10)

Today’s Readings: 2 Kings 20-21; Luke 2

There it is again. An angel comes to earth and the first thing he says to the shepherds gathered on the hillside is, “Don’t be afraid.” I started thinking about that phrase a little more this morning. If there was ever a time we needed to hear those words, it is now. All we hear everywhere around us is fear. Think about it.

We hear about the threat of the economy collapsing.

We hear about the threat of our enemies gaining nuclear weapons.

We hear about terrorist activities and how close they come to our shores.

We hear about mass killings in random places that cause us to distrust our neighbors.

We hear about cancers and rampant bacteria that’s resistant to treatment.

We hear about global warming or is it cooling or is it just global something that will kill us all in the next five years if we don’t do something about it.

We hear about pesticides and preservatives and pollutants and even that drinking water will kill you.

We are bombarded on every side with fear.

We need to hear the words, “Don’ t be afraid!”

Yes, there is evil in the world. There has been and there will be until God decides to call an end to it and send Jesus back to conquer Satan’s forces once and for all. Until then, He tells us, “Don’t be afraid.” Why? Because He has already conquered. This isn’t the end. This is only a temporary phase. It’s only a stopping point on the long journey of eternity. In terms of eternity, it’s really nothing. It’s the math I mentioned a few days ago when thinking about trillions of seconds. Seconds are meaningless in terms of eternity. So if I know my destination, why be afraid? Come what may, it is insignificant if I know after these few moments I will be forever with my Lord.

What can Satan and His henchmen do to us after all? Nothing if we follow God. They may hurt us physically. So what, it’s only for a moment. They may take our possessions. So what? We can’t take them with us into eternity and what awaits us there is so far superior to what we have here we wouldn’t begin to miss it. They may call us names or make fun of us. So what? What do we care what others think if we have pleased God in the end?

We need so desperately to hear those words today, “Don’t be afraid.” Then we need to let them sink deep inside us. But don’t stop there. Someone you will talk to today needs to hear those same words. Share them and let them know why they don’t need to be afraid. We can walk hand-in-hand with the Master and never be afraid again.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard