Can we do more? Today millions of people with gather around the dinner table and tell one another what they are thankful for. My question is, “Is there more though?” In reading Luke 19:1-10, I believe the answer is, yes. Zacchaeus’ thanksgiving is not only a reflection, but also a response. He shows us thanksgiving in not just something we are to do at the gathering, furthermore it flows from the gathering and communion with Christ. Zacchaeus puts skin on the bones of gratitude by taking it beyond warm sentiment to a faithful pledge of action.
The Scripture
tells us that Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham and a tax collector. He was a Jewish
man, doing the Roman governments bidding to collect on the debts of his Jewish
neighbors. As a tax collector, Zacchaeus was a pitbull for the oppressing government’s
treasury, and any surplus that he was able to finagle from his own people was
used to line his pockets. To put it in today’s terms, imagine your neighborhood
friend growing up to work for a tax agency. They are given license to make up
and enforce outlandish debts on you and those in your community. Your former friend
makes a living by constantly auditing your business deals and personal
possessions. Without regard for the struggling working class, the tax collector
lives a lavish life on the neighbors’ hard-earned money. Surely, Zacchaeus was
hated by his own neighbors and ashamed of by his relatives. He would have lived
a lonely life and was labeled a sinner for his financial and ethical indecency.
Socially
and emotionally on an island, one day Zacchaeus heard that a man had just entered
town who has a reputation for caring for the lowly. He heard the man was an itinerant
preacher named Jesus. He had heard stories of Jesus healing those with disabilities,
placing his hands on those who are considerable untouchable and unclean, and
associating with those who are bullied by others of higher social standing. ‘
As his
life’s hopes ran thin, all Zacchaeus wanted was to see this man. He was short
in stature and his neighbors made no concession for him to cut to the front or
to see over the mass of people. Desperate to see Jesus, Zacchaeus did the drastic.
He fastened his money sac to his body, hiked up his garments, and climbed a
nearby sycamore tree.
From
this point on we see how Jesus, the redeemer of all humanity, set his sights on
the individual in need. Here are three principles we can take from the story of
the man in the tree:
1. Jesus exceed our expectations. Luke 19:4
says that Zacchaeus’ goal was to merely see Jesus. He knew that just looking upon
Jesus could change the tide of his day. However, what happened next changed the
tide of his life. Jesus exceeded Zacchaeus’ expectations by not only
approaching him, but by also joining him. In verse 5 the Lord says, “Zacchaeus,
hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Jesus has a
reputation for extending himself for those who are in desperate need of him. He
does this for all of humanity by way of the cross and resurrection. He does
this for Zacchaeus in the tree and at public gatherings, and he still approaches
individuals daily amid their circumstances to bring them closer to himself.
2. We are
to be glad at the Lord’s presence. This point sounds simple, but for some
it is easier said than done. As we seek the Lord’s presence the enemy often
tries to use guilt and shame to keep us from approaching him. In verse 7 some accusers tried to discourage Zacchaeus and Jesus from spending time together, “He
(Jesus) has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner,” they ranted. The
enemy wants us to avoid God because of our sin. He wants us to believe that our
failures have made us unworthy of come near to the Lord. However, the Lord wants
us to bring all of ourselves to Him. He knows the sins of His people, and He is
not scared off by them. Where the enemy wants to add guilt and shame to our
houses, God wants to add communion with Him to our houses. Instead of being distracted
by the voices in the crowd, Zacchaeus receives Jesus joyfully.
3. Our gratitude for God should result in generosity for others. In response to Jesus’ indiscriminate love Zacchaeus stood up at the gathering and proclaimed in verse 8, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Zacchaeus’ thanksgiving for Jesus’ forgiveness toward him results in repentance and action. Like Zacchaeus, we too find forgiveness in communion with Christ. We find security for who we are in communion with Christ, and our hearts are changed in the place of communion with Christ.
As Christ extends himself toward us, I pray that our thanksgiving flows from the communion that we experience as we gather with Christ and our loved ones. For Zacchaeus, giving thanks did not find full expression in mere words and sentiment. His gratefulness overflowed into a pledge of generosity toward God’s children.
Zacchaeus was a rich man, so his generosity fleshed out in giving back financially to the people around him. Not everybody has an abundance of money to be give, but we do all have some resource that we can offer. Maybe it is as simple as our time, energy, or service. Considering Zacchaeus’ example, can we take our tradition of reciting what we are thankful for at the dinner table a step further this year? I suggest we share what we are thankful for and share in areas we plan grow in generosity as an overflow of our thankfulness for Christs grace in forgiveness in our lives.
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