This Sunday is Reformation Sunday. One of the gospel truths that the reformers tried to communicate is that Christ meets us where we are. We don't need the intermediary work of a priest or even, as important as it is, the Church. There were a number of cultural developments in Europe at the time of the Reformation that helped Luther, Calvin and others to recognize importance of the individual's place before God. There was the Renaissance and, of course, the development of the printing press. All this went into the proclamation of the "priesthood of all believers."
The gospel reading for this Sunday fits this theme perfectly. Zacchaeus climbs a tree to see Jesus, presumably because he is short so he can't see over the crowd that envelopes Jesus. But also we know that Zacchaeus is a sinner, the chief tax collector for the Romans in Jericho. Therefore, he was hated by the townspeople, who considered him a traitor, a very rich traitor. So maybe up a tree serves the purpose for Zacchaeus of being a safe distance from those who dislike him and also a safe distance from the one holy man who could really deride him if this man knew of his occupation.
Jesus' actions are rather shocking. He calls Zacchaeus to come down from his safe, removed place. He calls him to hospitality by saying that he is coming to Zacchaeus' house. The text says that Zacchaeus came down immediately and received Jesus joyfully. All the good folks of Jericho no doubt left wagging their heads, but Zacchaeus is overcome with thanksgiving by Jesus' initiation of closeness with him. His subsequent commitment to the poor reveal his gratitude.
How is Christ close to you now? Are you safely up a tree or are you receiving the Christ joyfully?
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ReplyDeleteIn this parable about Jesus, Zacchaeus' view of his world seems hostile. In the story, it was. What Zacchaeus did for a living and how he took advantage of other people's situations contributed to what people thought of him. Nobody deserves that kind of life, but it was up to Zacchaeus to change it. He knew that the people in the crowd were hostile to him. Although he did not know Jesus at that time, he put Jesus in the same category as the rest of the crowd. It only took the kindness of Jesus to change Zacchaeus' view of the world and Jesus showed him how he could have compassion for others.
ReplyDeleteMy situation might be the same. I have 'social anxiety.' What that means is that it is not my actions that creates a hostile world view for me. It is the hostile 'mental tapes' that keeps playing in the back of my mind that makes me avoid the social interactions that is necessary to live in this world. My 'stand' I am working on is “I will not avoid confrontation.” I realize that it will not change me as drastically as Zacchaeus, but it gets a little better everyday. So am I up the tree? Inch by inch I am coming down, because I know, like what Zacchaeus found out, that Jesus shows us all that God loves us all as we are.