Sermon 143 Feb 5,
2017 Zeph3:9-13;2Tim2:11-19;Lk19:1-10 Zacchaeus and Lk18:9-14
Preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church
I love a
parade! When I was growing up in LA, one of the most anticipated annual events
was the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. Of course, you could
watch it on TV, but the real thrill was to be there in person. However, if you did
not have a ticket for a reserved seat in the viewing stands, you would need to
find a place on the street along the parade route. To really see anything, you
would want to be in front on the curb! To do this meant coming out the night
before, staking a claim for a curb side location and then bedding down in your sleeping
bag over night. One year a group of our neighborhood kids and some parents
decided to embark on this adventure. Once installed in our place at the
Pasadena parade site, it was possible to wander around the parade holding areas
to see the floats and watch some of the last-minute preparations for the
parade. And the next day, what an advantage to have a front row view.
So, Zacchaeus
had heard about Jesus and when he learned that Jesus was traveling in his town
of Jericho he went out to see this special man. But the crowds were big and he
was small. Undeterred, he figured out a way to at least get a glimpse of Jesus
when he passed by. He climbed up a tree. His efforts paid off. He got more than
a glimpse. He got a chance to host Jesus in his home! And how his life was
changed!
Do we really
want to meet Jesus as much as Zacchaeus did?
The Rule of Benedict, the monastic guidebook of the Christian West,
provides that guests are to be received as if they were Jesus. This informs the
way monastic hospitality is to be practiced: being gracious and showing guests
honor and respect. But meeting guests and treating guests as if they were Jesus
does not turn them into Jesus. Wanting to meet Jesus takes us to a different
level. That was Zacchaeus’ goal.
What kind of
encounter do we imagine this would be for us? I see Zacchaeus in a similar light
as the woman at the well, who said “he told me everything I ever did.” All the
facades and pretenses fall away. When Jesus visited Zacchaeus in his home, fear
evaporated, defenses broke down and the inner true self anxious to be known
burst forth. He blurted out: “I will give half my belongings to the poor, and
if I have cheated anyone I will pay him back four times as much.”
If, on our
spiritual journey, we are, figuratively speaking, going to head into town,
stake out our perfect spot, and prepare to meet Jesus, then we need to be
prepared for an experience beyond one even as exciting as the Rose Parade. We
need to be ready to come into the presence of one who knows everything about
us. EVERYTHING! The effect of this encounter with Jesus will open us to experience
the freedom that comes when we can be vulnerable and transparent before the
transcendent God without reserve. Then salvation will enter our home, that is,
our heart, and we will be in a place where fear disappears and love and grace
take its place.
This Sunday we
also remember the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee. This is the
beginning of the pre-Lenten period, so might we craft a link between that story
and the Zacchaeus gospel? Stretching the lectio divina method a bit, imagine
the nameless publican as Zacchaeus. Both figures are tax collectors. Now imagine
Zacchaeus going to the temple to pray as did the publican, then heading off
home to Jericho where Jesus happens to pass by. Now the publican, or Zacchaeus
in our meditation, has his chance to meet the source of divine mercy. Whether
we speak of the publican in the temple or of Zacchaeus in Jericho, they each
are experiencing the same transfiguration: their heart is softened so that the
love of God might enter. Great Lent gives us once more an opportunity to embark
on that path of transformation.
