Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
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Analytical
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Series Review
How many of you enjoy hearing a pastor preach politics from the pulpit?
What about a sermon on a fiercely controversial topic?
I’m guessing that most of you would feel uncomfortable.
I try to avoid having anything in my sermons that sound even remotely like the platform of a political party.
Not because politics aren’t important: policies affect people.
Not because topics such as sexuality and abortion aren’t important: they are about human identity.
But they don’t belong in the context of a sermon: they belong in a listening conversation, not a monologue.
Even when we don’t agree with someone on the opposite side of an issue, we should always listen compassionately and try to see the world through their eyes.
For this series, we are trying to see Jesus through the eyes of people who were despised, marginalized.
These people were not like us.
Last week we saw Jesus through the eyes of a military oppressor.
A Roman Centurion.
We are not participants in political violence and oppression.
We are not feared and hated by an entire population, so it is hard for us to see the world through the eyes of the Roman centurion.
But if we take the time to listen and learn, we can see what he saw.
The Roman Centurion was able to see things about Jesus that God’s own people could not see: authority.
That’s the purpose of this series: looking at Jesus through the eyes of people who are not just different, but people who are looked down upon.
These unlikely candidates for salvation and grace can show us things that we can miss.
Today we are looking at a man named Zaccheus (a wee little man and a wee little man was he - I couldn’t resist).
If you know the song, you know the story.
So who was Zacchaeus?
Let’s look at...
His Character
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
I. THE CHARACTER—
He was short.
Luke, being the historian that he is, wanted to say more than “Zacchaeus came to know Jesus.”
He describes Zacchaeus as someone small in stature.
I could relate to this growing up.
I was assured that I, like my classmates, would hit a growth spurt.
Clearly, that never happened.
That detail by itself is not germane to my story, unless I can relate it to something important.
For me, being short presented me with constant disadvantages, like when we played basketball in PE (except in China), or trying to find a date, when one of the criteria I had established was they couldn’t be taller than me.
As the Italians say, height is half of beauty.
My height isn’t just a physical description: it helps tell more about my struggles growing up.
The same with Zaccheus.
Zaccheus is short.
We can only speculate if he experienced unconscious bias from potential mates and employers.
If he ever felt vulnerable or powerless
We know that Jesus was often accompanied by large crowds, so it’s not surprising that he can’t see.
But that fact that he is determined to overcome this obstacle created by his height, climbs a tree just to see Jesus tells us something about his desire to see Jesus.
He was short, and he deeply desired to see Jesus.
A. His name was Zaccheus
He was chief tax collector.
The Greek word used her refers specifically to an employee of the Roman Empire to collect tariffs.
You caught fish, the tax man was there to collect.
You raised cattle, you were taxed.
If you traveled in a caravan to sell your goods in another province, you might run into a few tax collectors - like toll booths.
One of the differences between taxes in biblical times and taxes today, is that back then only the tax collector knew the tax rate.
You just paid what the tax collector demanded.
If you didn’t pay, he would tell the soldiers.
He has something in common with the Roman Centurion: he was feared, disliked and distrusted.
Like the Centurion, it is hard us to see the world through this person’s eyes.
How many of you are overpaid CEO’s?
How many of you have a golden parachute?
Insider traders?
Money launderers?
How does someone like this see the world?
How might they see Jesus?
How does Zacchaeus, the money launder, the money skimmer, the liar, the thief see Jesus?
2. He was rich—perhaps though dishonestly
3.
He was a short man
B. Anxious to see Jesus—“Climbed a sycamore tree”
First of all he sees first hand what Jesus meant when he came to seek and save the lost.
In Zacchaeus, we see how Christ establishes communion with sinners.
(Are you anxious to be with Jesus?—)
Insider trading
Overpaid ceo
Skimming the books
Christ’s Communion
“Zacchaeus, come down immediately.
I must stay at your house today.”
II.
THE COMMUNION—
By Christ’s communion, I mean salvation.
I mean Christ entering a relationship with us.
But the way it happens is the opposite we often think about how God works.
How God saves us.
Growing up in the church my pastor would give altar calls: he would wrap up the sermons (almost all of them had the same conclusion): if you have not accepted Jesus, come to the altar.
I went to dozens of revivals and heard the same thing.
It seemed to me growing up that so much depended on my coming forward after a sermon.
My saying the sinner’s prayer.
Jesus paid it all, but the decision was up to me.
I don’t see that in Jesus, and this story is an example:
The way I read the story, Zacchaeus is an interested observer.
Maybe he is a spiritual seeker.
Maybe he is burdened my guilt.
But I think he has heard about Jesus and wants to have a look, like someone wanting to see Santa Clause at the Macy’s parade.
Can you imagine being singled out in this crowd?
Keep in mind, Zacchaeus probably doesn’t want to draw attention to himself - he is a corrupt businessman that everyone in that crowd despises.
Jesus’ orders “Come down” - Jesus takes the initiative.
Jesus calls.
Jesus orders.
The call is forceful.
It’s not a gentle knock on the door, but Jesus pushes the door open.
Jesus takes the initiative.
Jesus calls.
Even Jesus’ evangelistic style seems backwards: He doesn’t invite Zaccheaus over for dinner so he can share the good news with him: he says I’m coming over: what are you having for dinner?
Our salvation does’t start with our marching to an altar, or saying a prayer.
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