The beginning of a new year is a time for new beginnings, a time for making changes in our living. This is what “new year’s resolutions” are all about. 

The story that was read from the Gospel of Luke is a story about a man making some changes. However, all too often this story about Zacchaeus is read only as a “sweet” story about Jesus being friendly to an unpopular man. At its deeper levels, this story is about more—much more. 

In the name of Roman law and order the Jews in Jesus’ day were oppressed. The harshness of the Romans aggravated the resentment felt by the Jews and motivated all sorts of messianic and revolutionary movements.^[1] There were those who believed Jesus was the messiah, the one who would deliver the Jews from the Romans, just as David had delivered Israel from the Philistines. With this kind of a rumor going around, little wonder he attracted a crowd when he walked through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem for the last time. It was such a large crowd, Zacchaeus could not see Jesus. 

And who was Zacchaeus? Luke tells us he was not merely a tax collector; he was the chief tax collector in the area. Rome had imposed all sorts of taxes on the citizens of conquered nations, and to collect the taxes, the Roman officials hired local people. These tax collectors were paid a percentage of what they collected, and they had the Roman soldiers to back them up. So, it is not surprising to learn that often the taxes were excessive, and the excess was divided between the collector of the taxes and the Roman soldiers backing him up. 

Understandably, Jews who collected taxes for Rome were despised, not merely because they collected taxes but because they had sold their services to a foreign oppressor. Because they had sold out to a foreign power, they were viewed the way prostitutes were viewed. Maybe even worse, because Jews who collected taxes for a foreign oppressor were regarded as traitors who had turned their backs on their own people.^[2] Zacchaeus was not merely a tax collector; he was the chief tax collector in the area, and as such, he was despised. Little wonder the crowd would not move aside so that he could see Jesus. 

Why did Zacchaeus choose to become a tax collector for the Romans? We do not know. We can only guess. Maybe Zacchaeus was basically a good man who had been caught up in the desire to get ahead. Maybe he told himself, “Someone is going to do the work and make a lot of money doing it. Why not me? I would be no worse than others; in fact, I would be better than most.” Maybe, like some of us, he believed that he could be faithful to God regardless of how he made his money. Maybe he had talked himself into believing he could be a tax collector without betraying his country or selling his soul. 

Whatever the reasons and rationalizations, Zacchaeus had become a tax collector—and such an effective one that the Roman authorities made him the chief tax collector in the area. As Luke tells us, he had become a wealthy man. In the eyes of those who evaluate success in terms of money and what money can buy and enable us to do, Zacchaeus was a big success. 

So, why would this man who was made rich working for Rome be interested in this rabbi who might be the messiah who would bring an end to all that had made Zacchaeus wealthy? What would motivate Zacchaeus to go into a crowd that despised him and all but make a fool of himself climbing a tree trying to see who Jesus was? 

I think he was a lot like I am, and, perhaps, a lot like you are. What would motivate us to do what he did? It would take more than mere curiosity to motivate a person of position and wealth to climb a tree in public. I am convinced the issue was not curiosity because the passage does not say he wanted to see Jesus. What the text says is: “He was trying to see who Jesus was. …” He did not merely want to learn what Jesus looked like; Zacchaeus so earnestly desired to discover who Jesus was, he all but made a fool of himself climbing up in a tree.

Why? Why did he do it? Obviously, we do not know for sure; we can only guess. My guess is something had happened to Zacchaeus, something that caused him to take a new look at himself, his values, his priorities, his way of living. Maybe someone close to him had died, and in dealing with his grief Zacchaeus had begun to reexamine his life in the light of his clear awareness of his own mortality. Maybe it was what he saw in his children; maybe he saw them being socially excluded because he was viewed as a traitor; or maybe he discovered that although his children loved him, they were ashamed of him. Perhaps he had heard or seen something that caused him to remember the high ideals he had once had, and comparing those ideals with what he was doing caused him to feel pangs of regret, perhaps even guilt, maybe even shame. Or maybe when he looked in his wife’s eyes, he was no longer able to see the respect and admiration she had once had for him. Maybe, while doing his work of tax collecting, his eyes had been captured by the eyes of a child who was hungry because of the taxes he had collected. Or perhaps in some other way Zacchaeus became aware of the hardship, humiliation and pain he and the system he was serving were causing. Maybe it was just the weariness of carrying the load of hate his neighbors piled high upon his back. 

I do not know what happened, but I am convinced something happened that motivated Zacchaeus to climb that tree, not merely looking to see what Jesus looked like, but trying to discover who Jesus was. I think Zacchaeus may well have climbed that tree looking for hope. 

Maybe Zacchaeus had heard the story Jesus told about the prayers of the self-righteous and religiously proud Pharisee and the humble, penitent tax collector. Maybe Zacchaeus was comforted by Jesus saying it was the humble, penitent tax collector who was really in right relationship with God.^[3] Maybe Zacchaeus had heard Jesus was not only willing to associate with obvious sinners such as tax collectors, but that he genuinely cared about them.^[4] Maybe he had heard stories such as these and through these stories had heard more than the stories; maybe what he heard was the possibility of mercy, the possibility of a new life. Maybe in these stories he had begun to hope that maybe there was hope—even for himself. 

Whatever the motivation, Zacchaeus put a lot of effort into trying to see who Jesus was. And wonder of wonders, Zacchaeus not only saw Jesus, but Jesus saw Zacchaeus, and Jesus saw who Zacchaeus really was. He even called this despised chief tax collector by name. “Zacchaeus, come down out that tree. I among going to stay at your house today.” Luke tells us Zacchaeus hurried out the tree, filled with joy, and went to welcome Jesus. 

The crowd could not believe it. Luke says they began muttering. After all, there were some Jewish teachings that said tax collectors such as Zacchaeus were to be ostracized—not given special recognition and honor as Jesus had done.^[5] Nevertheless, Jesus went home with this chief tax collector who, in the eyes of the people, was no better than a prostitute and maybe even worse. 

The power of God’s grace is amazing. When we reach the point Zacchaeus reached, a point at which we want to discover who Jesus really is, a point at which we are truly open to what Jesus is offering, our lives are changed; our priorities are rearranged; we experience a value transformation. 

Luke wrote: Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions I now give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”^[6] 

This is the part of the story we tend to overlook. It is safer to view the story about Zaccaeus as only a “sweet” story about Jesus being kind to a despised little man. 

But as anyone who has carefully read the story realizes, the story is about more than that—much more. It is a story about someone earnestly searching for something more than more in his life. It is a story about someone  whose longing for something more was so intense he even risked looking like a fool climbing a tree, trying to see who Jesus was. And this little man, whose life had driven him up a tree, discovered he was embraced by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. And Zacchaeus did not walk away from this experience merely talking about spiritual renewal and a powerful, personal experience of discovering God loved him and forgave him. Zacchaeus walked away from this experience a changed man, a different man. Values changed; priorities changed; life style changed. “Half of my possessions I now give to the poor,” he said. “And I will repay fourfold, anyone I have cheated.” 

It was then Jesus said: “Today salvation has come to this house; by his changes it is evident Zacchaeus truly is a son of Abraham—living by faith. This is why I have come. This is my purpose in life, to seek those who are going the wrong direction in their living and to enable them to get back on the right track, to seek out and to save the lost.”^[7] 

The beginning of a new year is a time for new beginnings, a time for making changes in our living. This story tells us that when we really get serious about trying to discover who Jesus is, then, like Zacchaeus, we discover the Christ calling us by name, and we do not merely have a religious experience; what happened to Zacchaeus happens to us, and our living is changed. 

 

God, as we begin this new year, may our longing for something more in our lives motivate us to go to extra effort to try discover who Jesus really is and in the process discover that what happened to Zacchaeus is happening to us. Amen.  

Pastoral Prayer:
          God, in this new year bring out the best in us. Keep us focused on you and your will for our living. Rescue us from the seductions of selfishness. Awaken in us a concern for others—especially those who are in need and those who have the least ability and power in life. Open our eyes so that we see them as our sisters and brothers. Stimulate our sense of compassion. Make love for others be a stronger reality in our lives than fear for ourselves. Give us a new sense of priorities so that what motivates all we say and do is our desire to please you rather than our desire to get what we think we want for ourselves.
          God, we know we are asking a lot. We are asking for a fantastic conversion from the way we are to the way you want us to be. And God, even as we ask it, there is a part of us that selfishly does not want it. Yet we know we need this change; our world needs this change. And so, God, we ask for new life. We ask to be born again—not in the sense of some powerful momentary experience but in the sense of becoming the persons you want us to be.
          God, we ask this because through Christ we have learned you have the power to enable us to live as Christians are supposed to live. Amen.