“‘He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,’ they grumbled.”
Jesus stepped into the house of a little man with a big reputation for evil. Why would he do that?
When I was a kid, we sang, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he!” The jolly nature of that tune hides both the depth of his corruption and the degree to which his countrymen loathed him.
Zacchaeus carried the coronavirus of sin. No doubt his associates were equally infected. So why would Jesus, the sinless Son of God, knowingly venture into such a hot spot of transgression? For that matter, why would Jesus speak with a prostitute, shoulder up to Samaritans, and befriend another hated Roman co-conspirator?
Why? The answer is as simple as it is profound. Because Jesus is the Great Physician, the Heavenly First Responder, and the only one with the cure for the cancer that kills the soul — theirs and mine.
As I tap away on my keyboard this Good Friday morning, I notice:
Grumbling Piety — “The people were displeased.”
How is it that the righteous become so “self-righteous”?
The crowd was not happy with Zacchaeus or Jesus! This interaction violated their standards. Sadly, we can cut the crowd’s response and paste it into most every church today. It seems the longer one is a believer the greater the tendency to practice social distancing from notorious sinners. I realize this is a double edged sword. We know “bad company corrupts good morals,” (interestingly, probably a quote from Menander’s comedy, Thais), but Jesus never had a problem building redemptive relationships with the “down and out” or the “up and out” because both groups were OUT — out of touch with God, out of touch with his goodness, and out of touch with the cure that only he could bring for the virus they had.
Divine Necessity — “I must be a guest at your home.”
Words matter. Leon Morris notes, Jesus “did not say, ‘I would like to stay at your house’, but I must stay. This is a strong expression. Jesus saw his visit to Zacchaeus as part of his divine mission.” Jesus’ mission is my mission. Remember, He charged us: “Go and make disciples of all peoples” (Matthew 28:19 NLT). My time on this earth is not about “my space,” or “my story,” or “my legacy.” Rather, it is about my part within God’s grand story of redemption. His necessity is my necessity.
Who do I need to befriend? Whose home “must” I visit?
Spectacular Grace — “Zacchaeus, quick come down.”
Seeing that Jesus singled out the little guy from Jericho encourages me. In fact, it blows me away! You see, I’m the little guy from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (well, lately of Lancaster, PA). If the One who spoke the world into existence (John 1:3) spoke to Zacchaeus, that “notorious sinner,” then he can speak to me. In fact, he has! Like Zacchaeus, Jesus changed me. And if he has changed this notorious sinner, He can certainly change any notorious sinner.
God rescues us! This is the message of Good Friday and Easter. I appreciate Jonathan Parnell’s paraphrase of Tim Keller’s Center Church, describing the great work Jesus did by taking our place on Calvary’s cross.
He died for us, sinners as we were, and was raised for us by sheer mercy — to bring us to God and accept us not based upon our works, but solely by his grace. This electing grace has no preconditions. It’s lavished on the worst of sinners and tidiest of Pharisees, giving us all the eyes of faith. Then . . . the kingdom Jesus inaugurated by his victory over the grave, reminds us that we are destined for another world, a better one. Heaven will be on earth, but not yet. The world will be made completely new, but now we’re still working and waiting, loving the lost, telling God’s story.
May this Good Friday find us all grateful for Jesus’ spectacular grace, loving the lost, and telling God’s story!”
Notes:
For the last two or three years, I have read through the Scriptures using a different translation, this year I am using the New Living Translation.”
“Another hated Romans co-conspirator” — Luke tells us Jesus was tagged, “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” way back in 7:37; apparently this was not the first time he met the likes of Zacchaeus).
Menander’s comedy, Thais . . . ESV Study Bible note at 1 Corinthians 15:33.
"Jesus “did not say . . .” from Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 289). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
"He died for us, sinners that we were . . . “ from “Three Tips On Being A Friend Of Sinners” by Jonathan Parnell, March 22, 2014 www.desiringgod.org. Accessed April 10, 2020.