Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner? -- A Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 24C
Luke 19:1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing
through town. 2 A man
there named Zacchaeus, a ruler among tax collectors, was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but, being a short man,
he couldn’t because of the crowd.4 So
he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus, who was
about to pass that way. 5 When
Jesus came to that spot, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay
in your home today.” 6 So
Zacchaeus came down at once, happy to welcome Jesus.
7 Everyone who saw this grumbled, saying, “He has gone to be
the guest of a sinner.”
8 Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give
half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them
four times as much.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this
household because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 The Human One[a] came to seek and save the lost.” (Common English Bible)
Everyone
who has gone through Sunday School probably knows the story of Zacchaeus. He is probably better known for his shortness
of stature than for his profession – that of the tax collector. This encounter with Zacchaeus falls on the
heels of Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. That parable focuses on attitudes and
demeanor in prayer. Now, we have an
encounter that spells out the attitude described in the parable (Luke 18:9-14).
In Luke 19, we get to encounter a
real live tax collector, a person despised for his profession and the manner in
which he performed his job. Zacchaeus –
note that he does have a name – is described as being the chief tax
collector. He was, in essence, the local
mob boss. Like many mob bosses (Don
Corleone, for instance), he had gotten rich – largely on the backs of the
people of the community in which he lived.
He worked for the Romans, but more importantly, he worked for
himself. Rome got its cut, but he got
what he needed – from the tax payers, but also from the collectors who worked
for him. The Roman tax collection
process worked something like a multi-level marketing scheme (think Amway or
something like it) combined with a loan shark persona. The realities that lie behind the work of the
tax collector makes our traditional vision of Zacchaeus a bit untenable. We think of his shortness of stature – the
reason for climbing the tree to see Jesus – as a handicap or something like
it. His shortness didn’t keep him from
being ruthless (think Louie DePalma of Taxi).
Whatever his stature, Jesus sees
him up in the tree and invites himself over to Zacchaeus’s house for
dinner. Once again we have a contrast of
attitudes. The people who see Jesus’
choice of dinner partner grumble. Once
again he’s hanging around with the wrong crowd – and as we all know “birds of a
feather, flock together.” The people
find it difficult to see this meal as being redemptive. They see Zacchaeus as one who lives beyond
the pale, a person who cannot be saved.
Indeed, a person whose background suggests he doesn’t deserve to be
saved. But Jesus sees something
different. He doesn’t dismiss the dark
side of Zacchaeus’ personality. Nor does
he see Zacchaeus’ good side outweighing the bad. No,
Jesus understands that Zacchaeus is bad to the bone, and yet Jesus also sees
him as one who can be redeemed. It’s not
that Zacchaeus needs a little push so that his better side can come to the
fore. No, Zacchaeus is in need of a
complete makeover. And in his invitation
to Zacchaeus, Jesus begins the process of redemption.
Yes Zacchaeus goes looking for
Jesus, but perhaps Jesus was looking for Zacchaeus as well. And it is the invitation that sets in motion
the change in the life of the tax collector.
It is the invitation to come to the table that leads Zacchaeus to take
the step of faith that leads to that change in his life. “Lord, I give half my possessions to the poor
. . . .” And he offers to pay four times
what he stole from the tax payers. Now
you might be wondering, why didn’t Jesus demand everything as he did with the
rich young man? I don’t know that answer
to this. Perhaps Zacchaeus needs more
seasoning, but it’s clear that the encounter with Jesus has changed his
life. He has been redeemed – at the
table.
One of the debates that has long gone on within
the Christian community concerns who is able to gather at the Table of the
Lord. Do you have to be baptized or
confirmed? Do you have to believe in
Jesus? Does your behavior warrant your
inclusion at the table? We don’t know
exactly what the practices of the early Christians was, but by the second
century measures were taken to make sure that only the properly initiated were
allowed to participate in communion.
Many denominations limit access to the table to those who are members in
good standing. Others require at minimum
baptism/confirmation or at least a firm belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. But interestingly, Jesus never puts these
kinds of stipulations on whether one can eat with him. What is clear, though, is that these dinner
encounters, like the one with Zacchaeus, prove life changing.
Could it be that this story offers us a
foundation for understanding the Eucharist as an ordinance of conversion and redemption? I realize that not everyone who comes to the
table and shares in the cup and the bread experiences a life changing encounter
with Jesus, but who are we to bar someone from having that opportunity? And if, as I do, one believes that Jesus is
truly present in the service of Holy Communion, whether we are fully aware or
appreciative of that fact, then shouldn’t Jesus’ practice, the practice that
redeems Zacchaeus, be the practice of the church today? For as
Jesus says – his mission is to come and find and save the lost.
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