The story of Zacchaeus ... more than meets the eye! Luke 19: 1-10

Luke 19: 1-10 Gospel Reflections for Sunday 31st October

A timely reflection indeed, as we acknowledge this Sunday the amazing contribution almost 500 years ago of Martin Luther in setting Christian thinking back on track.

This little story (an acted parable) packs a punch and as usual there is a surprising twist. I think it actually points out to us in a profound way, that we have not quite taken hold of the significance of the New Covenant, (the new deal) as it was originally intended. In fact, if Jesus was to make another short ministry appearance today, I believe he would be getting stuck into us Christian people and our churches for the way we have constructed a set of rules and conditions to complicate the true Gospel message ... or perhaps we have just unnecessarily retained parts of the old deal. Dare I suggest on the eve of another Reformation Day celebration, that we are again in need of a major reform to set us back on track with what the Gospel in its true and tamper-free form actually says!

Let me try to give some explanation to that by firstly listing some background assumptions  ...

1. God announces through Jeremiah (see Hebrews 8 ) that there is a new deal about to be unfolded, an arrangement that will supersede the old law-based way of operating.
2. Under this new deal, God simply requires us to place our trust in Jesus (confess that Jesus is Lord)
3. Jesus completes his once-for-all work of forgiveness when he announces from the cross that "it is finished" and it is sealed when he bursts free from the tomb.

That sets the scene for the story of Zaccheus. A few observations ...

1. Zaccheus is a tax collector ( hated by the Jews)
2. Zaccheus had a very keen interest in seeing this Jesus fellow
3. Jesus was aware of what was going on with Zaccheus (that he had clambered for a view from a tree)
4. Jesus engages with Zaccheus and invites himself to Zaccheus' house.
5. (The church people were not happy and grumbling as usual.)
6. Zaccheus responds and also offers a half-baked apology for his actions
7. Jesus speaks the words "today salvation has come to this house"

The power-packed punch, comes in that bottom line of the story. What is it from this scene that  prompts Jesus to give an assurance of salvation for Zaccheus?

Zaccheus in a very simple way says "Yes, I trust you Jesus". Zaccheus in effect says '"Yes, I confess that Jesus is Lord". We are given the impression that Zaccheus clearly knows who Jesus is and is keen to see him. When Jesus invites him into his presence (to come down from the tree), Zaccheus "came down at once and welcomed him gladly", (or in another translation ..."Zaccheus hurried down and welcomed him with joy.")

So I believe that this profoundly reiterates the fact that under the New Covenant, God requires us to do just one thing - acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Master.

Is this over-simplifying the gospel? Why not see if this thinking is consistent with some other classic gospel forgiveness stories? (For starters we might like to try: The thief on the cross, The healing of the ten lepers and The lost son!)

Classic Luther really ... saved by the totally undeserved grace of God, who through His unconditional love for us under this new plan, has simply asked us to place our trust and faith in Jesus. So we who (with Zaccheus), have answered the call to come down to street level to welcome Jesus and receive him into our lives, can celebrate the fact that salvation has already come to our house!

As leaders in Lutheran Schools we are called and challenged to make sure that we keep it simple ... Jesus says trust me ... that's the deal. Has main-stream Christianity kept the Gospel that simple? I suspect that we have some marsh-land to reclaim!

Nev

Jesus commends another crook! Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:9-14 Gospel reading for Sunday 24th October 2010.

On the surface this shapes up as being something to do with prayer and a lesson on humility (and yes it can be ... I'll come back to that.) We note however that this is not an actual real life happening but a parable of Jesus. As such, we should be alert for the twist that it is sure to be buried in the story somewhere.

Let's test this out. All things considered, the Pharisee is a good man. He is committed in fulfilling his religious obligations. He is regular in his visits to the temple and gives the prescribed share of his wealth to "the church". The tax-collector however is a crook. He rips people off. He is an agent of the Roman Government and while collecting money for them, he stuffs a bit more in his own pocket.

Should we be able to give the Pharisee some credit here? Surely the Pharisee is closer to God than the tax-collector? If that's our thinking, we make the same mistake as the Pharisee and this might as well be the present-day parable of "The Good Lutheran and the corrupt financial advisor".

It seems to me that the parable, aimed at the Pharisees, was primarily about the futility of religion. Religion in the sense that it convinces us to do stuff in order to gain favour with God. Jesus has found another way to put into a story setting the fact that the only thing that God requires of us is to trust Jesus. The tax collector through his words of confession has done that very thing.

That's the parable THEN.

What about the parable NOW?

The good thing is that since we view this story with a full understanding of what Jesus has done for us to make us OK with God, our salvation is not at stake.

So what can we draw out of this for us in Lutheran Schools today? Perhaps a good place to start is by not subtly and sub-consciously thanking God that we are not like either the Pharisee or the Tax collector! If we have even a hint of that thinking as we reflect on this parable we are in trouble. This self-righteous line of thought can come in surprising forms, one of which for example, may be giving the impression that we are better than the state school, kindy or child-care centre down the road.

Let’s finish up then, by actually taking a brief look at HUMILITY (one of our Lutheran School core values). The paradox of humility is that the more intensely we pursue it, the more illusive and distant it becomes. To think we have humility is a sure sign that we don't! That perhaps leaves us to think there is nothing we can do to gain humility. But there is something we can do. It's called service. We might even call it secret service. Serving others, out of response to what God has done for us, seeking nothing in return and not blowing our trumpet about it, places us in an environment conducive to the growth of humility.

Nev

The persistent widow - the upside down parable? Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8  Gospel reading for Sunday 17th October

The parables of Jesus continue to intrigue and fascinate and surprise us with twists and turns we may have missed many times over. This little parable is a classic example, with one of the best twists that I have come across for a while.

I suppose the usual interpretation of this story may be along these lines:

•  The judge who really couldn't be bothered with the widow's problem (even though we get the impression that she had a valid issue of justice), finally gives in because the widow keeps pestering him. How much more then will God hear our prayers if we repeatedly and persistently take our requests to Him? A big tick for commitment, repetition and discipline in our prayer life. Some also suggest that the point is not that God is corrupt, but that He is likely to respond.  

After digging around, I'm not so certain about that line of thinking.

Is it perhaps a bit odd to associate God with an unjust judge who has no real concern for treating people with dignity and respect? Does it also seem a bit strange that this promotes an image of God who answers prayer if we keep on nagging Him, to the point that if we nag long enough, almost regardless of what we are nagging about we will get it?

So what about this ... Let's see what happens when we turn the parable upside down! What if WE are the judge, and GOD is the nagging widow?

"We ourselves are the unjust judge who neither fear God or respect people. We are dominated by our egos and generally looking for what is in it for us. We are really stubborn in our self seeking. But God is persistent in love for us. God is the hound of heaven who wears us down, like the widow, by persistently pursuing us. Eventually, we yield and let God enter our lives and guide us to do the right thing. In this interpretation we see God as persistent in trying to break down our defenses. We see prayer as allowing this pursuing God to enter our lives and challenge us to change our self destructive behaviour."*

I really like this alternative interpretation, because I think it gives us a better picture of who God is and how He operates. It follows on neatly from Luke 15 too, where in "the Lost" parables we see God taking the initiative to seek us out.

Note that this upside down view also gives us a completely different (and more appropriate?) perspective of prayer. In this mode of thinking, prayer does not make demands on God, but places us in readiness for, alert to and listening for the "demands" that God may be making of us!

Nev

Some additional thoughts on the prayer theme in Luke's Gospel

We note that in Luke's Gospel there is a siginficant emphasis on prayer. The parables below that have prayer as a key theme, are all unique to Luke:

• The Friend at Midnight (11:5-8 -- following the Lord's Prayer)
• The Widow and the Judge (18:1-8)
• The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14) which follows immediately on from this week's reading,

while in the five events listed below that are also recorded in other gospel accounts, Luke adds a unique comment about Jesus praying:

• Jesus is praying at his baptism before heavens open (3:21)
• Jesus spends the night praying to God before selecting the twelve (6:12)
• Jesus is praying before he asks the disciples, "Who do the crowds/you say that I am?" (9:18)
• Jesus is praying on the mountain before the transfiguration. (9:28, 29)
• Jesus is praying before the disciples ask him to teach them to pray. (11:1)

A possible reason for this special emphasis on prayer, lies in the fact that the addressee of Luke's Gospel is Theophilus. He despite his Greek name, was thought by some to have been a Roman official who may not have known how to pray. Luke clearly emphasises the importance of prayer both for Jesus and his followers.

*Gerry Pierse,  from Sundays Into Silence: Reflections on the Sunday Gospels in the Light of Christian Meditation. Claretian Publications.