For Sunday, November 3, 2013 – Luke 19:1-10
Jesus sings a new song, a song of praise for the generous rich. Having shown himself to be one who cares particularly for the poor and excluded, he now sings a song of salvation and inclusion not only for the down and out but also for the up and in! Those who have learned the art of making money without sacrificing the art of generosity are valued and rewarded. In the wide, wide mercy of God, all who turn shall be welcomed home.
But wait a slow minute, Jesus. If we welcome Zacchaeus, aren’t we condoning the means by which he made his money? Aren’t we saying it’s okay to make big bucks on the backs of the poor, as long as we eventually give generously to a good cause? We know tax collectors were among the most guilty, and Zacchaeus a chief among them. Are not the chief executives of big banks and the owners of payday loan stores more responsible than the rest of us for financial wrongs against the poor? Doing things your way would mean welcoming them, too.
Oh. You do know how to stir things up, don’t you, Jesus? We don’t know if Zacchaeus returned to his collection duties the next day, and if he did, whether he was different or the same. But we can imagine his newfound generosity rippling across the entire community, maybe bringing about a full internal review of questionable practices, undoubtedly disturbing the expectations of family and cohorts. When we let Jesus see us, we are never the same again, and neither is any part of our lives. Our jobs, our activities, our relationships—everything is apt to change.
This is where much of our fear lies. Jesus knows us by name, knows our core identity, knows where we live. He’s had his eye on us for a while now. Will we have the Zacchaean strength to let ourselves be claimed? Or will we keep lurking around the edges of the crowd, sneaking a peek from a safe distance at what could be our new life?
