The Unauthorized Homily

By Bill Dunn

A commentary on the Scripture readings from the Sunday Lectionary

(Scripture readings for Sunday, November 4th: Wisdom 11:22-12:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2; Luke 19:1-10)

LITTLE MAN OFFERS BIG LESSON

This week’s gospel reading is the story of Zacchaeus (pronounced “zuh-KEE-uhs”), a wealthy tax collector from Jericho. One day Jesus passed through Jericho, and Zacchaeus wanted to get a look at Him. But there was one tiny problem: Zacchaeus’ tiny stature.

Zacchaeus was a very short man, and being a hated and ostracized tax collector, no one in the crowd was about to step aside and let him move up to the front for a better view. So Zacchaeus, as Scripture explains, “ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.”

I didn’t become a believer and start reading the Bible until after I’d watched the sitcom “Taxi” a few thousand times. So whenever I read this particular passage, I immediately envision Danny DeVito scrambling up a tree, muttering profanity under his breath. The real Zacchaeus was equally as comical. Being a tax collector for the Romans, he had to be ruthless. Being a short tax collector, he had to be extra ruthless. (“Pay up, or I’ll punch you in the knee cap!”) The sight of this ruthless little man climbing a tree must have stunned the crowd.

The crowd was stunned even more when Jesus stopped, looked up into the tree, and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”

The Bible tells us exactly how the crowd reacted: “They began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.’”

The crowd’s reaction highlights a persistent misunderstanding about Jesus’ mission. Contrary to what the crowd thought (and what many folks think today), Jesus did not come into this world to praise righteous people and condemn the evil. He came into this world to save sinners.

There is no clearer doctrine in all of Scripture than the fact that ALL people are sinners. For example:

• “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen 6:5).
   
• “For there is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46).
   
• “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’?” (Prov 20:9).
   
• “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isa 53:6).
   
• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).
   
• “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

Pretty clear, huh? (And if you’re still not sure whether mankind is by nature sinful, and if you don’t automatically accept the authority of the preceding Bible verses, then just watch the evening news for about 15 minutes. If that doesn’t convince you mankind is sinful, nothing will.)

The fact of the matter is: all of us are sinners. Which means all of us need of a Savior. That’s why Jesus came into this world. The most famous verse in the Bible, along with the less famous but equally important following verse, explain the plan: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

Now here’s the tricky part: although we can never earn our way into Heaven by our own good deeds, we are nevertheless commanded by Jesus to avoid sin and live holy and righteous lives. It’s simply the proper thing to do.

On this side of eternity, however, it is an unattainable goal. Even the most revered saints—St. Peter, St. Paul, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, my mom—were/are sinners. Knowing that we cannot achieve perfection, God is much more pleased by our sincerity and our effort than by the results.

The problem, as we discussed last week (the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector—go back and read it if you don’t remember), is that we are inclined to compare ourselves to other people rather than compare ourselves to God.

When we compare ourselves to others, we become prideful and judgmental. We say things like, “I’m basically good,” or “Well, I never murdered anybody or robbed a bank,” or, as the crowd said, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner!”

When we compare ourselves to God, who is all-holy and perfect, we become humble. We realize we fall short of the mark and more readily ask for forgiveness.

Christians today often act like the crowd in this gospel reading. We gather in our parishes and congregations. We pat each other on the back for being so good. We shake our heads over the decadent behavior in society. We grumble when a fellow parishioner associates with an ungodly sinner—just as the crowd grumbled at Jesus for associating with Zacchaeus.

Jesus summarized his mission on earth in the last verse of today’s reading: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

Our mission, the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19, is to spread this wonderful news to all the world. We will be much more successful—not to mention much more pleasing to the Lord—when we do it with an attitude of humility and thankfulness instead of an attitude of arrogance and condescension.

The key is to compare ourselves to God rather than other people. When we do that, it’s impossible to be arrogant and condescending and prideful. When we do that, our attitude becomes exactly what God wants it to be: humble and thankful.

©2007