“And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.””
Notice that the joy of Zaccheus stands in sharp contrast to the grumbling criticism of the crowd. And their accusation against Jesus was nothing new, but rather it was merely a repeat of the accusation made earlier by the Pharisees against Jesus in Luke 15:2, that He “…receives sinners and eats with them.” And it’s this very critical, judgmental spirit that made these people unsafe to create a space for grace with. Somehow, they seemed to have forgotten that, though Zaccheus was indeed a sinner, they too were sinners who had just sinned differently than he did and were just as much in need of grace! Nevertheless, their criticism didn’t stop Jesus from going to Zaccheus’s house. And this is because Jesus is desperately trying to get across to you, that if you’re going to create a safe space for grace, you need to…
REFUSE TO LET THE UNSAFE STOP YOU.
It’s like if you got seriously injured and had to be rushed to the hospital. You don’t let the fact that there’s sick people at the hospital stop you from seeing the doctor, right? Because your primary focus is on seeing the doctor and getting well. And you know that in spite of the sick people there, people go there to get better because if they met with the doctor they have the hope of getting well. As a matter of fact, the mere sight of sick people in a hospital is something we’ve come to expect, because that’s where sick people go. And when you’re in the waiting room there’s no time to look down on the other sick people there because you’re all sick! You might even strike up a conversation with another sick person and make a friend while you wait because you both have being sick in common, and you’re both waiting to see the doctor so you can get better! Well, my friends, this is the same kind of mindset we need when we come around the people that make up the church. We need to expect there to be spiritually sick and unsafe people in the church. You know why? Because we’re sick too! Yet we should also expect to see and surround ourselves with some of the recovering, healthy, and safe people in the church too. Why? Because they’re there and all of us came to see the same Doctor, named Jesus, who’s the only One who can truly make us whole! So don’t let the sick people stop you from finding Jesus among His safe people in the church!
This is a great video on the background of Zaccheus’s story. We do not share the view of the earth being 9000 years old by that time however.
Now before we’re too quick to look down on this unsafe crowd and judge them, we need to better understand why they so despised this Zaccheus, who was the chief tax collector of that region. In order to support the lavish, Roman-like lifestyle of Herod Antipas, the collection of crushing taxes was imposed on the people by armies of tax collectors accompanied by Roman soldiers. Herod Antipas then used their taxes to build a new city headquarters called Tiberius, which was named after their new Emperor, Tiberius Cesaer. This only further increased their nearly impossible tax burden. Then to add insult to injury, and to the absolute horror of the Jews, Herod Antipas builds on top of their cemetery, making their people perpetually unclean! And Zaccheus was one of the chief tax collectors taking their taxes to fund such an outrage! And now Jesus wants to go make friends with this man and eat at his house! It’s bad enough that he’s betrayed his own people, but to accept him, accommodate his differentness and to eat at his house, was just too much! Now, while I totally get their frustration, they had allowed their bitterness of heart to make them unsafe for grace. You see, hurt people, hurt people. Judgmental people feel judged. Those who are the most unforgiving struggle to receive the forgiveness God gives them. And those who find it hard to create a safe space for grace for others, are the very ones who find it hard to believe in their heart that God has given them more than enough grace to cover their sins.
Yet, please hear me my friends. Do not. I repeat. Do not let these unsafe people stop you! If you’re following the example of Jesus, your Savior and Lord, then you must not let them stop you from creating a safe space for grace. The eternal destiny of souls are literally on the line and are, right now, in desperate need of you creating a safe space for them to experience grace! And if you’re someone like Zaccheus, who feels like the worst of sinners or you’re just simply different, then please don’t let the unsafe stop you from seeing and experiencing Jesus. There really are safe people among the church, in whom Christ is abiding, that are really serious about creating a safe space for you to experience grace and/or be accommodated in your difference. And Jesus wants to pour His love on you through them.
So with the grumbling of the crowd slowly fading away into the background, there Zaccheus stands before the gracious presence of Jesus. Barely noticing anyone else, he begins to walk with Him toward his house. He can hardly believe that the Messiah would do him the honor of coming into his space and dining with him in light of all he had done. And whether on the way or while fellowshipping at his house, Luke astonishes us with what comes next in verse 8…
Stay tuned for Part 4!
