T. F. T. I.

Intro

This morning I get the opportunity to fill in the gap if you will. When Pastor Gary and I plan out the year there is usually a week or two maybe three that have to be filled in and so we get to preach on a topic or passage for just one week and thats what we have this morning. Its fitting though since we are heading into the Thanksgiving holiday and many people are being invited to have dinner. Perhaps your the person doing the inviting or your on the receiving end and being invited. No matter which side of the invite you stand there is an invite given and a response required.

I actually think that if we are honest with ourselves this morning we can probably see a lot of the story about Zacchaeus in our preparations and the actual Thanksgiving dinner itself. I mean maybe there is no climbing a sycamore tree in your week but what about the invite itself. I am guessing at some point you were invited or you did the inviting, right? Sure maybe not in the way that Jesus did it but there is an invite.

How about the grumbling portion of the story? It seems that every family has their share of grumbling dont they? I mean why is so and so always late for dinner? Or why isnt someone not coming this year? And then after dinner is there grumbling over the score of the Lions game?

At the end of the dinner I would hope that all are loved, stomachs are filled with food and we can be thankful for what we have.

Before we get to the passage this morning I just want to set the stage a little. See Jesus is in what would be his final journey to Jerusalem.

Luke 9:51 “51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”

As a matter of fact Jesus is very close to Jerusalem where he will enter the city riding on a donkey.

Jesus has just encountered a blind beggar as he approached the city of Jericho. The people that were leading the way were trying to get this blind beggar to be quite but Jesus stopped and asked that he be brought to Him. He asks the man “what do you want me to do for you?” to which the man replied, “Lord, I want to see”. Jesus responds with “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”

The blind beggar was given sight, not just to see the world he lived in but to see Jesus the one who came to give him vision into his spiritual life. The man had faith that Jesus could heal him.

Now lets contrast that with out passage this morning. As I read the passage I want you to listen to the people in the passage and count how many people we have. One note is that when it says the crowds, you can count that as 1 person.

Prayer

Luke 19:1–10 NIV

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

When we look at this story I wonder if perhaps we just gloss over the story as one that we have heard many times since we were children right? There is a song about Zacchaeus and climbing the sycamore tree. I wonder though if we have ever given more thought to the story? Something much further that just a cute Sunday School story with a song.

I asked you a few moments ago how many people are in this story. Anyone want to offer an answer?

Well you have Zacchaeus, you have Jesus and then you have the crowds right?

Have you ever considered that there are four people in this story? Zacchaeus the Chief Tax Collector, Jesus, the crowds and then I think that there is a case for a fourth person. But lets leave that aside for a few moments.

The first person we encounter in our story is Jesus himself. Earlier we read that Jesus was approaching Jericho and encountered a blind beggar. Now we see that Jesus has entered the city of Jericho and was passing through.

A couple of things to note about this journey that Jesus is on and relation to our passage. First is that the old testament Jericho where Joshua marched around the city was about a mile north of the new testament Jericho. NT Jericho was built by Herod and so the mile separation would explain the language Luke uses with the story about the blind beggar and our passage this morning. I think its also important to know that the NT Jericho sits about 3500 ft below the city of Jerusalem and so when Luke says Jesus went up to Jerusalem that is what he means. Its about a 14 mile trek up hill.

Luke says that Jesus was passing through. I am sure that by now the crowds have come and gone. Some have probably stopped following and others have joined the journey.

It sort of reminds me of the movie Ice Age. I used to watch that with our kids when they were little. In that movie you had these animals on this journey across the ice. You get all kinds of different animals. Some get along and some fight the whole way through.

I would think that the crowds traveling with Jesus would be of the same type of make up. People from different cities and villages, some people just having a good time talking and others fighting along the way.

Its here that we meet our second person Zacchaeus and for right now lets call him the Chief Tax Collector.

Zacchaeus the Chief Tax Collector

Zacchaeus was not just an ordinary tax collector but he was the chief tax collector. He would have owned the tax booths that he was in charge of. He was a Jew that was basically working for the Roman government. In the eyes of his fellow Jews I dont think there would be a much more despised job. In the eyes of the Pharisees and teachers of the law they would accuse Jesus of

Luke 15:1–2 “1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.””

So you dont get much lower than a sinner or a tax collector.

He was collecting taxes from his fellow Jews on behalf of the Roman government. If you could afford to pay your tax then things probably went well for you but if you couldnt then it became a dept that you often would struggle to repay and get out from under it.

Zacchaeus is wealthy

Of course the tax collectors would pad their tax on the people because they have to make a living. They had expenses to cover and so the tax collectors would become wealthy. Well enter the Chief Tax Collector and he has some of the same duties but then he is in charge of other tax collectors and so he is charging them rent for using the tax booths. He is even padding his numbers and so it results in the chief becoming very wealthy.

Zacchaeus is lonely

So, Zacchaeus is wealthy by reason of cheating his fellow people more that he should. He is certainly going to be a lonely person. Not many friends if any. Probably always keeping an eye on people around him and sleeping with one eye open at all times.

Zacchaeus is spiritually blind

Zacchaeus is blind to his own spiritual life. He finds himself in the perfect spot to see this Jesus that he has no doubt heard plenty about. I am sure he has received plenty of information both right and wrong on Jesus and so due to his size he is forced to climb a tree in order to see Jesus.

Zacchaeus is short

He is short enough that Luke finds it necessary to mention this in the story. The average height of men in those times ranged from 5’1” to 5’5”. So it would be very likely that he was less than 5’ tall. None the less again he was short enough to mentioned. He was short enough that he was not able to get a good view of this Jesus walking through Jericho so he climbs a sycamore tree. I am guessing first there probably we not a ton of choices right there and if he was short he would need something that had low branches to climb into.

This tree would eventually turn into the tree of life for Zacchaeus. It would be from this tree that we see Jesus make notice of him. While this tree turns out to be the tree of life it also represents the struggles not only in Zacchaeus’ life but in our lives too. We have obstacles in our life that prevent us from seeing Jesus.

Obstacles in our Life

Just like in the garden of eden, Adam and Eve also had an obstacle that prevented them from seeing God and it was the sin they had committed. They too had a tree of life in the garden and their sin prevented them from a relationship with God.

We have many obstacles in life that prevent us from seeing Jesus clearly. At times in our life we have to climb our own sycamore tree.

Pride

Pride can blind us to our flaws, creating barriers to personal growth and a deeper relationship with God. It often leans to isolation and a lack of empathy.

Proverbs 16:1–5 “1 To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. 2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. 4 The Lord works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster. 5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”

When pride takes root in our heart it turns our heart cold and to stone. It begins to blind us from seeing Jesus. One of the many times when Jesus was confronting the Pharisees and teachers of the law they were asking him about how they observed his disciples eating with unclean hands and how in their eyes it defiled them. But Jesus responded with:

Mark 7:17–19 “17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)”

Our pride leads to disgrace but with humility comes wisdom.

Idolatry

Idolatry shifts our focus away from meaningful pursuits, causing us to worship material possessions or status. This distraction detracts from our spiritual well-being and true purpose in life.

We can take the main instruction regarding idols from the 10 Commandments

Exodus 20:3–5 “3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,”

We shouldnt limit the idea of Idols just to the formation of objects but we should expand the definition to anything that we put in our lives in place of God. That can be material things, thoughts and opinions that you were able to do something on your own.

The Apostle Paul says”

Colossians 3:5–6 “5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”

When we put idols in place of God we are hindering our view of Jesus and preventing our relationship with him.

Worldliness

Worldliness invites temptation into our lives, prioritizing transient pleasures over lasting fulfillment. It cultivates a mindset that values superficiality, steering us away from an authentic relationship with God

I think the topic of worldliness could be its own sermon by itself. Speaking to the church at Corinth Paul says that you can not live by the spirit and the world. He says that people who are still worldly are mere infants in Christ. You can not serve both the world interests and Jesus. That was the obstacle that Zacchaeus was facing. He was getting a heavy dose of the wrong things about Jesus. All the while preventing him from seeing Jesus.

Same is true for you and me today right. There is no shortage of false information floating around the world. Most of it on social media and that internet. I heard someone speaking in a video clip the other day and they were making their case for abortion based on their opinion that life started with the first breath. The basis for their claim was that God breathed life into Adam.

Genesis 2:7 “7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

While certainly I would agree that in the creation story based on this verse that yes Adam became a living being when God breathed life into his nostrils. That though should not be the basis for which to determine if abortion is right or wrong. Totally taking one verse from the bible to create an opinion. That is dangerous to say the least. But see thats what the world does, it gives you statements from scripture but they are taken out of context simply to prove an agenda.

I dont think that God’s creation of man in Genesis has any bearing on when life begins. That is my opinion I guess but I would counter with the story in the New Testament when Mary visits with Elizabeth and at the sound of Marys voice when she enters the home “Elizabeth’s child leaped within her”.

So, dont give in to the theories of this world.

I was also listening to a preacher just this week that gave a sermon on apologetics and what she was saying is Christians should not apologize for their beliefs. The world is rapidly closing in around us and the more we dont defend the truth of scripture, the more times we dont defend who Jesus is and what he did, then we begin to fall victim to the worldly impressions around us.

Zacchaeus was faced with obstacles no different than we are today. When we let our pride fullness, when we let the idols in our life, those things that we put in place of or in front of Jesus, when we give in the information that the world is giving out we have to climb a tree and see Jesus.

The Invite of a Life-Time

Now I am not sure, Luke doesnt tell us but I am doubting that Zacchaeus woke up that morning expecting to see Jesus and certainly didnt expect to have supper with him. The thing is though I think Jesus knew exactly what he was going to do. Verse 5 it says “When Jesus reached the spot”. I read that to mean that there was a divine spot where Jesus was going to see Zacchaeus.

I am sure in the story about the Samaritan women at the well that she had no plans to encounter Jesus that day but I think Jesus had all the plans to speak with her.

Perhaps Zacchaeus knew of the sins in his life. Maybe he had heard all the reports of Jesus and thought it was worth investigating. He probably figured he had nothing to loose and everything to gain. Lonely, no friends why not try to see this Jesus. I think that is evident by the way that Zacchaeus responds in verse 6:

Luke 19:6 “6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”

So, we are days away from Thanksgiving. A day traditionaly marked with family and friends having a meal together. If on Thursday morning you happened to be at the store grabbing a last minute item and Jesus happens to meet you there and say hurry home because I need to have supper with you. I wonder what your response would be. Sure our house by then is pretty neat and clean but the thought would certainly be is it clean enough? Is my life cleaned up enough that I can host my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?

Zacchaeus doesnt seem to have any issues with that, much the opposite he is glad to have him. The last obstacle that we read about is the crowds and their response to Jesus going to the house of a tax collector.

The thing is Jesus has heard this before if we look back at:

Luke 5:27–31 “27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

Jesus has the same type of response to these Pharisees and teachers of the law. He says it is not the healthy but the sick who need a doctor.

This sycamore tree event has now become the life giving tree that we can find in the center of the garden of eden. Something spiritual has taken place her on this day and Zacchaeus is not going to be silent about it. He stands up and says Look, Lord here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I cheated anybody out of anything I will pay them back four times the amount.

So for the sake of simple math lets assume that Zacchaeus cheated you out of $100. He is going to give you back $400. If you go back to the old testament and in

Numbers 5:5–7 “5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty 7 and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged.”

See that is what repentance is. In my simple math according to Moses Zacchaeus would repay you $120. Its not just saying your sorry but its making it right. So for Zacchaeus in his mind he is repenting of his wrong and paying back way more than God told Moses.

This brings us to Jesus response but before we get to that I asked you this morning how many people were in the story. I asked you that for a reason because to me the story started with Zacchaeus the Chief Tax Collector and it ends with Zacchaeus a Son of Abraham.

Zacchaeus a Son of Abraham

It started with a tax collector that had many faults and sins in his life. He was rich and Jesus says that its easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus said this his disciples were astonished and asked an obvious questions, “Who then can be saved?” The answer to that come:

Matthew 19:26 “26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””

Its not about who Zacchaeus was or what he has done or hasnt done. Its not about who you and I are or the accomplishments that we have had or the things that we have done. Its all about who’s we are and what He has done for us.

Invite Praise Band up

As a sinner like Zacchaeus when we see past the obstacle in our life we are able to see clearly the light of Jesus. When we confess our sins and repent God replaces our heart of cold stone with a heart of warmth and life.

As the praise team comes up we want to give you an opportunity to respond to the invitation from Jesus this morning. Will you bow your heads with me.

Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. He came to seek and save each one of us here this morning. Maybe this morning your sitting here and something inside of you is prompting you to climb the sycamore tree in your life. Maybe your sick of the obstacles that are preventing you from seeing Jesus. If that is you this morning dont let those obstacles interfere with your life any more. Jesus says he came to seek and save you this very day.

Pray this prayer with me:

Dear Jesus I want to have a clear vision of you. I am ready to accept your offer to come and save me from the obstacles of sin in my life. Jesus would you come into my life today.

You see Jesus came for those of us who perhaps have climbed back down from that tree in our life and when we did obstacles returned. We no longer can see Jesus clearly and this morning something inside of us is urging us to climb that tree again. To once again clear the obstacles in our life so that we can see Jesus. If thats you this morning would you pray with me:

Jesus I too want to have a clear vision of you. I too am ready to accept your offer to come and save me from the obstacles that have crept back into my life. I want to see you clearly Jesus, would you come into my life today.

Amen

As we get ready to sing our closing song, if you prayed either of those prayers this morning I would urge you to tell someone. Not to feel singled out or to have a spot light on you but so that we can pray for you. Pastor Gary and I will be up here during the closing song and if you want to come up and have us pray with you we will do that this morning. If you prefer to be a little less obvious fill out the connection card in front of you and let us know your prayer these prays. Pastor Gary and I will pray for you in the coming days and weeks.