Come Down, Be with the Sinners

I’ve told you all before about how much I like to hike and be outdoors. Even more so I love to camp. I think this comes from my father’s love of camping because he used to take us all of the time. We would spend most weekends out in the woods, rain or sunshine, we camped. Shortly after my father started dating my step-mother he invited her to come camping with us…my father, myself at 14 years old, and my brother at 12 years old, oh boy was she in for a surprise.

Well, things actually went pretty well. The fighting was at a minimum, everyone seemed to be in good spirits, and my dad’s friend Ross came by for a visit. Now, remember, up to this point we have never gone camping with a woman before...

Back in Pennsylvania, we have a trail that is a lot like the Pinnacles at Berea. My father would take us there to hike all of the time.

Ross said, “Hey Benny, why don’t we all go for a hike and check out the rim trail.” Of course, my dad obliged and we went. It was a trail that we had done so many times before so my brother and I knew it very well. We decided to run ahead. My step-mother was, of course, nervous about that, as she should have been.

We got ahead of them by maybe half a mile or so. We were near the edge of the path, about where it steeps off and drops 800-ft into the canyon below. It was here that we decided to climb up a tree. There was a sturdy old pine tree on the other side of the trail, away from the edge. My brother and I would usually race each other climbing up to the top, it was a pretty easy climb. We raced, I won, and we sat at the top waiting for my dad, Ross, and my step-mom to come by.

A few minutes later I could hear the bellowing laugh of Ross as they rounded the corner. My brother dropped a pine cone and it landed promptly on my dad’s head. He looked around, and then finally up. Well, we received three different reactions. One of them reminded me of Jesus and Zacchaeus.

Ross said, “Wow boys, good job! Who won? You know Benny, I showed them how to climb that tree before!”

Dad said, “Who threw the pine cone on my head! I might as well leave you two up there.”

My step-mother said, “BENNY HOW COULD YOU LET THEM CLIMB UP THAT TREE THIS CLOSE TO THE EDGE. WHAT KIND OF IDIOT THINKS THIS IS FUNNY?! BOYS, YOU GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!” Without hesitation we climbed down, said we were sorry, and we were not allowed to leave her sight, which was pretty amazing that she could see us AND glare at my dad at the same time. But, we continued on and had a pretty uneventful rest of our trip.

But, now you can see why the story of Zacchaeus reminds me of camping and climbing trees! But, instead of having an angry stepmom tell him to come down, Zacchaeus had Jesus!

Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree and told him to hurry down, they were going to stay at Zacchaeus’ home!

Zacchaeus not only obliged, but he did so happily! He was incredibly excited that Jesus wanted to be with him! This was a great honor, something that I am sure Zacchaeus did not expect. And, those around them did not expect it either.

Those around Jesus, those who saw this, they began to grumble. They started saying, “He has gone to be a guest of one who is a sinner!” They grumbled this because they were appalled at this action by Jesus. How could the one who calls himself the son of man spend time with sinners, it was preposterous!

Well, Jesus simply ignored their banter and continued on. Zacchaeus witnessed the reaction of Jesus, he heard the crude things that were said, and he was filled with honor. He was filled with hope, faith, and love. He felt so incredibly touched by God that he said to Jesus, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”

How amazing is it that a man who was stealing, defrauding, lying, and cheating people would all of a sudden have a change of heart! So much so that he wanted to give back not only what he took, but what he had!

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Amazing Jesus

When I read over this story I not only think about that time I got yelled at for climbing a tree, but I think about how amazing Jesus is.

Jesus always did what was righteous, even if it was contradictory to his society or the way “things have always been done.” Jesus would walk with those who were broken, he would talk with those who had been cast out by society. He would eat meals with the wicked, heal those who didn’t seem to deserve it, and washed those who had been dirty for so long.

Doesn’t that seem

Jesus did what was right, not what was popular.

This story taught me that Jesus didn’t come here to sit with the religious elite, but to work among those who were often forgotten...

It truly is humbling, especially to us who are supposed to be emulating Christ.

Now, how many of you who are sitting here would consider yourselves perfect, flawless, and without sin?

How many of you are above reproach?

How many of you are able to cast the first stone?

If no one, then why do we treat the walls of our church as though they were made to only house those who are perfect?

If you are healthy, do you need a doctor?

If you know where you are, do you need a map?

If you know how to tie your shoe, does someone need to do it for you?

You see, Christ did not come to heal the healthy, but to heal the sick. He came to save those who are lost. Yet the religious leaders tried to put limitations on him, saying that he can’t spend time with the broken, lost, and beaten. They tried to secure him in a little box and say “You are not allowed to do these things, Jesus.” And Jesus said, “watch me.”

We live in a time now where we are almost always guilty by association. There are people around this world who blame other people for their not wanting to go to church. Do you know how many times I hear...

“I don’t go to church because I saw a Christian at a bar.”

“I don’t go to church because I saw a Christian talking to the drug addict behind the store.”

I hear it all the time, and more.

But, what these people do not realize is that the Christian at the bar was a sponsor for someone who was in AA, they were trying to stop them from drinking.

They don’t realize that the Christian talking to the drug addict wasn’t trying to buy drugs, they were trying to pray for the addict and their brokeness.

We can be people who are so quick to assign guilt and blame that we end up acting like the religious leaders in a world where we need more Jesus’!

Climb Down

It is time for us, and Christians everywhere, to climb down from our trees and be with Jesus. We sit up in our trees and say, “I’m with Jesus,” yet we are still so far away. We need to climb down from our perch and get into the thick of ministry with Jesus.

We need to get our hands dirty.

We need to be guilty by association because not even Jesus could do ministry without being blamed.

We need to stop saying, “Ohhh I wonder how this will make me look” and say, “I wonder how this can bring them closer to God!”

I think Jesus is calling all of us down from our trees. He wants us to walk with Him, learn from Him, grow in Him, and do what we can by the name of Him.

So, recognize that you are a sinner. Recognize the person next to you is a sinner. We are in a house filled with sick people who are searching for the cure in Jesus Christ.

Let us be the ones who eat with other sinners and bring them to Christ, and not the ones who shy away.

But, if we are to do this, if we are to take this mission seriously, we need to continue growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We need to continue praying, reading Scripture, helping those who are in need, taking Communion as often as we can, and interacting with those who are often forgotten.

Let us not be the ones who forget those around us, but the ones who bring them into a relationship with Christ.

Let us pray.