When God's Grace Fails To Meet My Expectations
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I recently went in to see my dear friends Ed & Sue. We watched a movie together. If you ever get to see the movie, “The World’s Fastest Indian”, see it. You may ask, why did we watch it? It’s not about an indian- it’s about an Indian.
An Indian Motorcycle
That is Burt Munro’s 1920 Indian Scout. It had an original top speed of 55 mph. In 1926, Munro began to modify his motorcycle. When he was done in 1967, it had a top speed of just over 200 miles per hour.
In 1967, at the age 68, Burt Munro rode a 47 year old modified Indian motorcycle that he had built on a poor man’s budget- and it set a world land speed record that still holds today.
But that’s why we watched the movie. We both love motorcycles-
But after I watched it, I wondered if he liked it. I wasn’t sure. So, the next day, I called and asked.
His response was what I hoped for. He said he couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. It was what I hoped he would say.
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”,,,,
What we expect from others.... keep that thought in mind.
Luke tells us several things in his gospel. And this particular story, or Zaccheus, a tax collector fits into a multiple of those “things” that Luke talks about a lot.
What do you do when you have the “Problem” of too much money?
Why does Jesus so often identify himself with the worst of sinners?
What about the faith which is placed in Jesus and discovers new life in the process?
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.
Jesus has come to Jericho. It appears he is not stopping to stay. It appears he is walking through, until someone else enters the story.
2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.
Zaccheus, the friendly tax collector. Next door.
Not just any tax collector- the chief tax collector.
This means, that not only was Zaccheus taking your money- he was also taking money from those understudy tax collectors- meaning he had quite a racket going on.
And it was so good, he was rich.
To understand how rich- because he was materially loaded- you have to have a sense of the greek word that is used in this verse. The word has the notion of “flow”. So, in other words, the riches and material wealth that Zaccheus enjoyed were a constant flow- a fountain of wealth.
And if you were living next door to Zaccheus- you would have known that that new car and that fancy pool out back- well, technically, that was yours. Because everything Zaccheus had he had stolen from you and everyone around you. And you also knew there was nothing you could do about it.
Make no mistake, the people of Jericho would be shocked to know how many times Zaccheus’ story was told in the past 2000 years. And they would be shocked by the way children and adults alike seemed to love- their friendly neighborhood tax collector- chief tax collector.
3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.
Zaccheus was short.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
As Jesus approached, Zaccheus prepares by climbinb a sycamore tree.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
As Jesus sees this man up a tree, he tells him to come down for he MUST stay at his house today.
6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
Welcomed Jesus into his home.
Joyfully- Lazarus was genuinely happy that jesus had come to his house.
7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
Everyone- the whole town.
grumbled- it means to grumble to be easily heard.....
Jesus has been grumbled about before… look at Luke 5:30
30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Look also at Luke 15.2
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Grumbling.... remember when the Israelites were brought up out of bondage?
They couldn’t find water, and so we learn the people grumble against Moses in Exodus 15.24
24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
The next thing you know they are hungry and they grumble against Moses and Aaron in Exodus 16.2-3
2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
The problem with their grumbling is that they had experienced an amazing taste of God’s grace, and yet they found a reason to complain.
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
There are 2 points to this verse we need to see. Zaccheus has accumulated a lot of stuff. And you and I have a lot of stuff. If there’s one thing that will indicate our spiritual condition- it will be our attitude and use of the things we own.
Listen to Luke 14.33
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
All of our stuff really doesn’t matter- Zaccheus apparently has come fact to face with that truth. Look at Luke 18.22
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
The one thing that would have held this man back was his stuff.
And secondly, look at the change in Zaccheus’ attitude towards what he’s accumulated and how he accumulated it.
We love to talk in the church about repentance. But in Judaism, repentance ALWAYS involves restoration.
Listen to Leviticus 5.16
16 He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.
So to be clear- restitution involved paying back everything and 1/5th. But look closely at what Zaccheus did:
He gives half of what he had to the poor- and he would pay back those he has wronged at a rate of 400 percent!
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
Make no m istake. unlike the rich young ruler- Zaccheus has changed. Salvation has come to his house.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
This is Isaiah’s imagery. The idea of seeking and saving the lost= Jesus identifies himself as the seeker (the Son of Man) and Zaccheus as the found (see vs.()
Remember what Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
If you don’t see anything else today, look closely at that last verse; Because Jesus is telling us that He has done exactly what His Father, God , expected Him to do.
If anything, He exceeded God’s expectations.
But as you know, “Past Performance is No guarantee of Future results.”.
We look at this story of Zaccheus and we celebrate it. WE sing about it.
We make sure our children know it.
This “little man” climbs a tree to see Jesus- what is not to love about that?
Jesus orders him down and comes to his house.
Zaccheus changes. Even repents. Even restores what everyone he stole from was owed.
What’s not to love?
Well all of that is true. We emphasize it and celebrate it.
it’s the part of the story we don’t emphasize that causes us problems.
Look again at Luke 19.7
7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
Luke’s entire theme for who Jesus is is found in Luke 4.18-19
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Zaccheus was rich-but he was more poor than rich. He didn’t know Jesus. Jesus came with good news to the poor.
Zaccheus was captive to his greed. All he could think about was how to accumulate more. And Jesus came to proclaim liberty- freedom- to this captive.
Zaccheus was blinded by his money. All he could see was what he could get. And Jesus came to help him see what He was missing- God, forgiveness, right relationship with God, neighbors, and money.
Zaccheus was oppressed- hated because of who he was. And Jesus came to free him from that hatred and introduce him to a love that would never fail.
And the people who should have celebrated the fact that jesus went to Zaccheus’ house complained about it.
Grace moved in the neighborhood and hate declared it to be a bad neighbor.
One of the most interesting passages inthe book of Luke is Luke 7.33-34
33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
When that woman came to the Pharisee’s house and washed Jesus feet with her hair and poured out all she had to anoint him, reemmber what the Pharisee who invited him to his house had said in Luke 7.39
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
And so, you see, I believe that this crowd grumbling and mumbling about Jesus going into Zaccheus’ house would have all still grumbled if he had gone into theirs! They would have found some reason.
7 times in the book of Luke you have some variation of the phrase, “This man eats with tax collectors, wine bibbers, drunks, and sinners”…and he ought to know better. And strangely enough it is by the very people who claimed to know better.
While Zaccheus accumulated things- the community accumulated thoughts. And those thoughts turned into words. And given enough time, they probably would have become actions.
Do you remember Jonah and the whale? It’s kind of like the Zaccheus story- it makes such great flannelboard Sunday School fodder for children..that’s why everybody knows the story. Well, when you get past the man in the belly of the whale… you should be happy to know that they repented. Isn’t that good news?
Listen to Jonah 3.10-4.4
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. 1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”
Jonah’s anger and disappointment.
Then there’s the story of the Prodigal Son. We love it. Another flannelboard wonder. Teach it to the kiddos!
The younger son takes his inheritance and runs off and spends it at the arcade- the Las Vegas strip- hookers and hooch! I mean he has a party. And one day he runs out of money, he’s eating with the pigs… we love that story!!!
27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
We love that story:
Until he comes home. Until the father welcomes him. Until he’s forgiven and back in the fold. And then we realize that though the younger brother came back and wsa changed- the older brother was never home in the first place. And we are the older brother.
The prodigal’s brother who is upset that his brother is rewarded for coming home.
In all of these stories- Zaccheus, the woman anointing Jesus’ feet, Jonah and the whale, the Prodigal- and most if not all of the stories of the Bible… God’s grace fails to meet someone’s expectations. And it’s usually the people who claim to know that grace best.
It’s usually us, but we can’t see it or we won’t acknowledge it.
God’s Past Performance Is Always A Guarantee of God’s Future Results
God’s Past Performance Is Always A Guarantee of God’s Future Results
With God, nothing is off the table.
And with God, nothing has changed.
He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever.
He’s still setting the captive free, giving sight to the blind, delcaring the year of the Lord’s favor.
It’s all good.
I think this crowd in the story of Zaccheus’ missed something.
Jesus only saw Zaccheus’ stuff because Zaccheus let him into his house. And it was all that stuff that was the problem. The well manicured lawn that the lawn service took care of. The beautiful home that all his greed had bought him. The cars the boats the motorcycles the big screen tvs the stuff.
Jesus saw all of that because Zaccheus let him into his house.
And because Zaccheus was vulnerable enough to let Jesus see what he’d done and what he was dealing with- he was vulnerable enough to let the grace of God not only come- but to grow- in his house, in his world, in his life.
Don’t Let Your Neighbor’s Open House Become Your Closed Door
Don’t Let Your Neighbor’s Open House Become Your Closed Door
Jesus says I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in and eat with him.