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4 November 2007 When I was a child, we learned a song in church school about Zacchaeus, the wee little man who climbed up in the sycamore tree to see Jesus. When Jesus spotted him, he said, “Zacchaeus, you come down, for I’m going to your house today.” Trust me, that rendition is better than my attempting to sing it as a solo! But if any of you know it and can help me along, I’ll be glad to join you! It’s a stretch, I admit, but when I was thinking of today’s service, the story from our gospel reading, and Ben’s baptism, I couldn’t help but think of Ben Chamberlin as Zacchaeus, the wee little man perched on his daddy’s shoulders to have a better chance of seeing. And since his dad has even taken on the role of Jesus, so the possibilities are endless…… The story of Zacchaeus, the head tax collector of Jericho, doing a complete about-face on the strength of Jesus’ self-invitation to stay at Zach’s home is probably apocryphal; but just because biblical experts believe it may not actually have happened, doesn’t mean it isn't true. Because whether Zacchaeus is an historical figure, whether he ever collected taxes in Jericho—or anywhere else—whether the tree was olive instead of sycamore, isn’t the point of the story. On the other hand, the details that Zacchaeus is the chief tax collector and that he is rich aren’t incidental. By virtue of their position, tax collectors were collaborators with Rome, and by the time this gospel is written, Rome has just brutally squelched a serious Jewish rebellion and in the process, destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. The second detail is that he is rich, which tells us that he collected funds beyond Rome’s requirements and to feather his own nest. Of course, tax collectors didn’t operate on a salary—that was how they supported themselves. Zacchaeus appears to have been very good at his job. Zacchaeus’ own conditional “if” he has extorted anything from anyone is disingenuous…and his offer to repay fourfold as well as give half of all he owns to the poor gives us some glimpse into just how much he has profited at the expense of others. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Zacchaeus is not someone you want your daughter to bring home. And that is precisely Luke’s message: in spite of Zacchaeus’ many and obvious shortcomings, Jesus seeks him out in full public view, and extends to Zacchaeus the honor of being his host. Even granting the deep-seated religious and cultural Jewish practice of hospitality, right away there are questions. What is Jesus thinking? Doesn’t he get it? Doesn’t he understand that Zacchaeus is the last person with whom a person of faith, especially a peripatetic holy man, should be seen? Even if Zach’s name means good and pure and innocent, surely it is the mother of all misnomers. Being seen with Zacchaeus isn’t good for the image. But in a neat little twist, Zacchaeus rises to the challenge, and not only welcomes Jesus, but does so warmly. That’s just for starters. Zacchaeus makes what amounts to a public repentance by telling Jesus what he will do in the way of providing restitution for the injustices he has perpetrated. In this little ten-verse story, Luke makes a very bold claim: it doesn’t matter how rich we are, it doesn’t matter how much power we have over others, when we truly welcome Jesus into the home of our hearts, we have work to do. Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t a spectator sport. The very first thing Jesus demands is that Zacchaeus get down out of that tree. So Jeff and Amie, it will be the same for Ben. The view from his daddy’s shoulders is the best. It offers him perspective he simply doesn’t have otherwise. But as tender, as much fun as those brief moments are, there is a more enduring perspective that you already are giving Ben, a perspective to which we all commit ourselves in covenant. It is the perspective that recognizes God’s hand in this wondrous world we call home; the perspective that teaches in word and deed that love is stronger than hate and fear, that love is life-giving, not death-dealing; the perspective that compassion is the interpersonal expression of justice, and disciples are called to embody both. In a YouTube podcast, Wintley Phipps tells us that African-American spirituals are nearly always played on the black keys of the piano—which reflects the pentatonic scale common to Africa. The eight-note scale of Do-Re-Mi fame gives us music of a different sort. On just those five notes of that pentatonic scale, you can play any number of spirituals…Swing Low, Sweet Chariot… Every Time I Feel the Spirit…Amazing Grace. The difference between those spirituals is that Amazing Grace is a white spiritual. That is, it was written by a white man, but it still uses the pentatonic scale. John Newton was called by name, and welcomed Jesus into the home of his heart. Like Zacchaeus, Newton recognized that he had work to do, recognized that being a disciple of Jesus was more than reading his Bible and saying his prayers. Ultimately, Newton gave up his lucrative career as captain of a slave trade ship, and became an inspiration to William Wilberforce, the conscience that brought an end to slavery in England.[1] Already, in the sacrament of baptism, Jesus is calling Ben by name, just as Jesus called Zacchaeus by name when he was perched in the sycamore, which incidentally is often an ancient symbol of new life. As soon as Zacchaeus is called, Jesus confronts him with a choice: to receive him as his guest. In order to accept, Zaccheus has to climb out of the tree. Ben won’t stay on his dad’s shoulders any more than Zacchaeus stayed in the tree, and he will face more choices than an SAT test. There is no guarantee that Ben’s choices will be any better than that of the rich man whom Jesus loved, but who was too attached to his possessions to give away all that he had to become a disciple. The other rich man Luke tells of is Zacchaeus, who clearly chose to become a follower. In the meantime, Amie and Jeff, you have taken on the awesome responsibility of providing perspective for your beautiful son. The good news is that you do not do so alone. The saints whom we remember today have walked this path before; it is on their shoulders we stand to gain the perspective of faith and to gain perspective on our faith. And entering into covenant with you is this community of faith, providing its own perspective and support and prayer. May we each be faithful witnesses to the gift entrusted to us. * * * [1] YouTube – Amazing Grace History/ “Amazing Grace” By Wintley Phipps |