New Thoughts (09/19/10-09/24/10)
What an intriguing scene we have here! The themes that run through it are certainly common enough in the record of the Gospels. We see a Jesus wholly consistent with what we have seen of Him thus far, and Zaccheus, in his own way, is not far different from those others who have become disciples of Jesus. Yet, it is the details if this particular picture which set the event apart somewhat.
Two immediate contrasts come to mind, given the setting in which Luke has placed this event. First, there is that contrast to the curing of the blind man which happened, according to Luke as Jesus came into town (Lk 18:35-43). In contrasting these two accounts, we might at the very least come away with the realization that neither wealth nor its lack is a barrier against being a child of God. On the other hand, there is something that these two, the blind man and the taxman, have in common, and that is their perception by the general populace. Bartimaeus was assumed to have lived down to his name, ‘son of disgrace, son of defilement’. The general supposition would be that his blindness was the direct result of some particularly egregious sin in his past. Zaccheus was, if anything, even worse in their sight, even if he had all manner of wealth. He was a conspirator with the detestable Romans, a leech upon the Jewish nation. His wealth, rather than gaining him repute, only made the people more certain that he was cheating them in his collecting of the Roman tribute. Indeed, if you had asked a local who was the worse man of these two, they would doubtless have pointed to Zaccheus every time.
There is also that second contrasting image of the rich young ruler whom Jesus had encountered earlier (Lk 18:18-25). That young man spoke as one whose works had already earned him a spot in the kingdom, yet something in his conscience understood that this was not so. So, he had come to Jesus with a question: What’s missing? Yet, when he heard the answer, it was unbearable to him. Give all I have? It’s too much that You ask of me! By way of contrast, here is Zaccheus, of whom no demand has been made, only a welcoming greeting offered. Here is a rich man who, by the constant drumbeat of societal opinion, is quite clear that he is absolutely unworthy of God’s attention, and yet God has greeted him. His immediate reaction is to do almost exactly what that other man had deemed impossible, and to do it not in response to some demand, but voluntarily. I will come back to this point, God willing, but I first want to contemplate what we see in Zaccheus’ efforts to see Jesus.
Some will doubtless see in his effort a proof of the whole seeker-friendly conception of what Church should be about. These will suppose that Jesus responds to Zaccheus’ enthusiasm or some such, and will make of it a sort of proof that it is man’s choice that accepts God, not God’s choice that attracts man. But, this is not a conclusion that ought to be drawn. As we look at the first moves of Zaccheus here, we must hold firmly in mind the conclusion that Jesus provides to the whole scene, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
There are two things, primarily, which lead us to think Zaccheus has instigated this whole sequence of events. The first of these is pride. Man in his pride wants to remain in control of the situation, even when it involves an encounter with God. This is a major motivation behind the idea that God cannot save us except we accept His offer, that man’s free will somehow trumps His irresistible grace. Such a perception of the relationship between man and God has severely overestimated man’s value and power in that equation!
The second factor that can lead us to perceive events in this light is a failure to fully appreciate the universality of God’s Providence. He Who creates the stars and sets them in motion, Who moment by moment sees to the sustenance of all living creatures, can we really suppose that He is somehow incapable of setting His own itinerary as He walks the earth of Israel? I tell you plainly, there are no chance encounters with the Son of God, and there is absolutely nothing to be found in the record of His life that ‘just happened to occur’. I noted this in looking at Bartimaeus’ story. He didn’t meet Jesus because he happened to be in the right place at the right time. Jesus came by that place at that time because He had an appointment with Bartimaeus. This event is no different.
This is not to say that we have no free will as men. It is, I suppose, one of the more difficult mysteries of God, but it is so. He is absolutely in control of events and yet we are free to do as we choose and we choose freely what we shall do even though it could not, in the ultimate sense, be otherwise. I love what Jesus says as He calls to Zaccheus. “I must stay at your house.” So much is wrapped up in that little word, must. There is the clear sense of necessity and, when Jesus speaks of necessity I cannot but hear the will of God behind it. The whole power and majesty of the kingdom is set behind that necessity. It is a heavenly decree, to be denied by neither citizen nor enemy of the state. But, there is something more in that word as well. There is the sense that it is right. It is the right thing to do. In that significance, it is right precisely because of that conclusion Jesus gave, “I came to seek and save the lost.”
It is not right because Zaccheus is such a good man. Clearly not. It is not right because he repented. That came after the fact. It is right because it is God’s plan and purpose. This evening spent at Zaccheus’ house, and the fruit it would produce is the very reason the Christ has come this way, even as the healing of Bartimaeus had been the purpose of His route as He entered and departed the city. There is nothing of chance in these encounters, but only the irresistible and perfect will of God.
Now then; in preparation of this study, I have looked with some detail at the significance of this particular sort of tree that Zaccheus is climbing to get a view of Jesus. I have been told enough times that there are no frivolous words in Scripture. If the detail was mentioned, there is a reason. If nothing else, it identifies an authenticity to the picture. The tree was at one time common to the area, although it has apparently disappeared since. From what I can see in pictures of this tree, it would tend to offer branches that were quite low to the ground, an important detail given the short stature of the man who would climb. But, these are rather incidental. Luke may actually have thought to explain how it was this short man could just jump up in a tree, and noting the type would probably have made the situation plain to his readers. But, his point is not necessarily the Spirit’s point.
There is that other aspect of the tree as being a particular boon to the poor, and there is a point made that there would be those whose job was to climb the tree to pierce its fruit, which was of some necessity in getting the fruit to properly ripen. I can’t imagine that this was a particularly high paying job, if it paid at all. After all, how much profit could there be in a staple whose sole partakers were the poor and indigent? If it had required money to buy this fruit, then the poor would have none of it. If the fruit had value for which others would pay, the poor would have no access to it.
I labor this point to make clear the total incongruity of this rich man, Zaccheus climbing such a tree. I could almost accept the image of a rich guy climbing a tree. After all, wealth does not preclude a certain sense of fun, does it? Even dignity can accept that under some circumstances a bit of tree climbing is in order. But, that he would be seen climbing this particular sort of tree, that’s a different issue. That may well have caught somebody’s eye, don’t you think? It’s not that the sight of a man in the tree would be so surprising. But to see one dressed as he was doubtless dressed? That’s news.
How would people react? Some, no doubt, took the opportunity to ridicule the outcast. Hah! For all your wealth, you’re still a pipsqueak! Can’t even see over my shoulder, can you. Others might start questioning if perhaps justice had finally sought him out, and his wealth had gone up in smoke, or something. Why else would he be going after fruit such as this? Still others might recognize that there had to be some connection with the crowd, that he was looking to see Jesus. But, you’ll notice he dare not get too close! After all, what business had his sort with the likes of Jesus! As events show, the answer is every business, but that was a lesson the people had yet to learn.
The upshot is that Zaccheus has shown a certain unconcern for dignity in his actions. We could suppose that his usual treatment by the public would leave him little cause for concern about his dignity, but a little reflection would suggest this is not the case. If anything, it likely heightened his concern. We have all heard about short man syndrome, right? We have seen those who feel a need to assert themselves more aggressively because they sense that physically, they are less impressive. Add to this the general revulsion of the crowd, and Zaccheus was likely very careful to present himself as rather aloof in his wealth. Wounded pride will tend to make a greater display. So, to find him willing to toss aside that carefully crafted insulating persona to catch sight of Jesus is all the more telling.
What it tells me is that something has overpowered this man, and that something, is of course, the grace of God. Zaccheus, so far as he is concerned, is wholly self-motivated in what he is doing. He may experience a bit of wonder at his own willingness to go to such lengths to see this Man, but probably not. Probably, he is caught up in finding a way to do so and has no thought at all that maybe something Greater is moving him. But, He is. You see, however much Zaccheus is seeking to see Jesus, it is really Jesus Who seeks to be seen by him. He has come to seek and save the lost, and Zaccheus fully qualifies.
What we are seeing here is what is referred to as irresistible grace. All of us who find ourselves in the family of God have experienced this same thing. Some of us have recognized the reality of it and some have not. Some have supposed themselves in control of events, but the fact of the matter is they were moved by God to meet God in His Son. None comes to the Father but through the Son and none comes to the Son except the Father calls him. This is the reality of faith. I know I experienced it when He called me to Him. There were things I agreed to do, things I began to think, that were accepted before I really had a chance to process matters. Sure, I’ll go on that retreat. What’s a retreat? Why would I want to hang out with a bunch of guys I barely know? Couldn’t say, but I was going and that was that. Sure, I’ll accept the proposition of this voice in my head, that He exists and that there’s no such thing as coincidence. Not like I’ve ever had voices in my head before, but why not? And God proved Himself on that very premise. I had an appointment, and as much as I acceded to this and accepted that ‘of my own free will,’ in retrospect I clearly could not have chosen otherwise. God had come seeking, and there was really no chance at all that I would not be found.
In that regard, I really love this quote from Fausset’s article on Zaccheus. “He ran before, but God’s love ran first toward Zacchaeus.” You know, you can put my name in there. “Jeff ran before, but God’s love ran first toward Jeff.” You can put your name in there. Really, I don’t care what the details of your own salvation encounter were, this lies right at the root of it. God’s love ran first. We love because He first loved us (1Jn 4:19). That’s at the very core of faith. It’s at the very core of Christian confidence, for it is His love that has made the difference, and His love is never ending, steadfast, unchanging. “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? My heart is turned over within Me and all My compassions are kindled. I will not execute My fierce anger upon you. I will not destroy you, for I am God and not man” (Hos 11:8-9). The steadfast love of the Lord never changes, and this is all my confidence. It is all the assurance I shall ever need. He Who has saved me is faithful, righteous and true. He shall indeed complete this work He has started.
I wonder if we can really appreciate just how thrilled Zaccheus must have been to receive such a greeting from Jesus, or from anybody, really. Here was one who was never welcome among his own people, and doubtless barely tolerated by his employers. Romans were not particularly well known for their hospitality towards the peoples they conquered. But, here is a man of some esteem in the minds of the people. It is clear. Look at the crowds that surround Him. And this One, with all these adoring fans about Him, stops and singles out short, despised Zaccheus for His attention. He doesn’t do so to show His followers a negative example. Instead, He honors Zaccheus by choosing his house for a stopover.
Now, to our modern Western ears that might sound a might presumptuous. But, in a society where hospitality was so near to honor, I don’t think Jesus would have seemed rude. It is clear from Zaccheus’ response that he, for one, sees no rudeness in it. No! He rushes back down the tree he had climbed in haste, and gladly receives Jesus. Yes! By all means come, and I shall provide you such a feast. Welcome! Welcome!
Oh! The joy in that man’s heart, to know such acceptance! Set aside the spiritual aspects of what is transpiring here for just a moment. The simple, human kindness that Jesus has shown to a man so long deprived of that kindness is a powerful thing in itself. It’s something we, as the followers of Jesus, need to learn. There is such power in simply accepting those whom society does not accept. I don’t suggest by this that we should accept them unchanged and unchanging. But, if we will stop reacting to such as these as though they are de facto pariahs with no least hope of redemption, this alone will so soften their hearts that perhaps the greater good news of the Gospel might break through.
Most of us are fortunate in that we have not experienced the sort of rejection that this man did. Most of us do not carry the stigma of being an ex-con, or homeless, or addled by long term addictions. Most of us do not even know the issues faced by minority and immigrant populations. We may have some idea of them, having read stories and the like, but we have no experience of it for ourselves. Praise be to God for it, if this is true, but we must live our own lives free of the sorts of reactions we know these folks have seen all too often. We, of all peoples, should be looking beyond the surface of those we meet. We, of all peoples, should be seeking what God will fashion from such material as this, not what the material looks like in the rough. For, in all honesty, when God found us we were not so different from them as we would like to believe.
If such a one, ignored and rejected by the world around him, can come among the people of God and find himself accepted and even embraced, what do you think it will do for him? Will he soon forget such kindness? Oh, there are doubtless those who are so inured to their sins that even this will not touch them. There are doubtless those who would look upon such acceptance as a weakness to be exploited. But, even this ought not to dissuade us from accepting. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, even knowing that the world to which He gave His Son would seek only to destroy His Son, knowing that His death, though the only hope for mankind, would be laughed at and despised by the mankind who caused His death. Yet, He knew, also that those whom He had chosen, and those He would choose through the ages, would come to this very Son, the Son He allowed to die, but Whom He resurrected to show His acceptance. He knew the necessity of that sacrifice and He made it for such unworthy and uninterested men as myself. He made the first move and as He has moved, so He has assured me that He will make the last.
In between those moves, He leaves me here, in the world but not of it, to live a different sort of life. He leaves me here to accept as I have been accepted, to make known to others what He has made known to me, to be that light upon a hill that those in darkness cannot possibly miss. Have I done this well? I think not. But, I am learning. Through associations that God has allowed in my life, I have seen beyond the surface of some whom I found scary at first. He has taken me past the differences, past the terrible damages of life, to see the man underneath, and to love that man as a true brother. Those with whom I have shared weekly for these last few years, we have so much in which we differ both in opinion and in experience, and yet, we found in each other a common bond: the love of God and a progress towards His kingdom. Differences of experience only provided fertile ground to learn from one another. Differences of opinion only caused us to think more deeply about this God we love. And, I have no doubt that this God we love looked down and said, “It is good.” No doubt at all. While I sorrow to know this season has come to an end, yet I look forward with eagerness to discover what it is God has in store for me, what it is He has been preparing me for that I am now fit to step into.
All I know at this stage is that, as ever, it is by faith. Today, Jesus says, salvation comes because he is also a son of Abraham. Now, I have read those that suggest this should be understood in the more basic sense, that Jesus is making the point that his profession has not, as so many supposed, cut him off from the people of promise. There is likely some truth to that. Yet, the larger point is also true, and more important in the end. Here, I have been pointed back to my favorite ground of Romans. It is by faith so as to accord with grace, so that the promise is made certain to all descendants, not just those descended according to Law, but also those according to the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Abraham believed God who gives life to the dead and calls the nonexistent into being (Ro 4:16). He believed before there was a Law to codify what it meant. He believed because God had said so, because God had established a covenant with him, a covenant in which God promised in Himself to uphold no only His own part of the contract, but also Abraham’s.
There is something in what Paul says there that I don’t believe I’ve really zeroed in on before. It was by faith that it might be in accordance with grace. Faith cannot but align itself with grace. Faith, in a way that works cannot, honors the very graciousness of grace. Grace, that giving of what we in no way deserved, that stooping down of the Most High God to give to us this most precious gift. Faith alone is fit to thank this God for what He has sovereignly chosen to do for us. Works may express the love that has grown in our hearts, but faith alone truly acknowledges that it was, is and ever shall be all about Him. It could not be otherwise. That our own acceptance as sons of Abraham is wholly dependent upon the grace of God is as absolutely necessary and fitting as was Jesus’ choice to stay with Zaccheus. Both take on that must quality because it is part and parcel of God’s design. God has determined it should be so and therefore it must be so.
How can we so easily choose to do otherwise? What do I mean by that? I mean, in spite of the necessity of God’s purpose and design, and in spite of being children of His own household, we are often guilty of acting in direct opposition to our adopted Father. I would love to be able to say that we do so unconsciously, in those moments when we’re not overtly aware of our Father’s constant presence with us. I would love to be able to say that, but it’s not really true, is it? There are, it seems, those things about which we just plain don’t want to hear it. We’re going to do what we choose to do and He can just deal with it.
Am I the only one? No, I don’t think so. Not for a moment. But, I know it happens. Call them besetting sins, those things we prefer to call habits, even bad habits, but not really sins. We know better, but it feels better if we can just think of them in this light. That way it doesn’t feel quite so much like rebellion against a loving Father. But, it is.
Even this morning, I am reminded by what I’ve read in Table Talk, that there are issues I have ignored for too long. The topic this morning was the Law against false witness. The point at hand was that this of necessity precludes gossip, precludes speaking so as to tear down another as much as it does speaking so as to puff oneself up. Face it. Quite often, these are the same act. We tear down another (preferably one who is not around at the moment) so as to build up our own reputation by way of contrast. This, my friends, is gossip and slander. We men love to suppose that such problems are reserved to the womenfolk, but they are not. They are the constant hum of the workplace.
You know, I look at this topic, and I love to suppose myself clean. I have in recent days been navigating a change of church venues, and I have made clear to those I am leaving that the subject of why I am doing so is the one subject I will not speak to beyond saying that I am doing as God is leading me to do. Neither am I willing to discuss the matter with those I am joining. And, praise be to God, I note a similar determination on their part that they do not care to hear it. Makes it so much easier.
So, I look at this, and I pat myself on my spiritual back and think, “look how well I’m doing at this difficult thing!” See, how pure my actions. But, then, as I read that article this morning, I was led to consider the workplace, the competitive world of engineers, who are by nature proud creatures always striving to show that their best is better. It is in our nature already, and to be in an environment where the risk of one’s job being outsourced, downsized or otherwise terminated only exacerbates the habitual pointing out of another’s foibles as one trumpets his own accomplishments. This is not as it should be, and it is something I must battle with all that is in me. Well, praise God that all that is in me includes the Holy Spirit of the Living God! If I will but lean upon Him as I ought, I will surely progress on this front.
However, this cannot be so until there has been real repentance. This brings me back to the lesson in front of me. The Lord has, if I read the crowd comments correctly, already gone into Zaccheus’ house. He has gone in to stay, even if physically it is only for the night. Well, here’s the thing: Where the Lord stays, change must come. Some of that change is immediate. Some of it is going to take time to manifest as He and the one He stays with together work through the process of sanctification. Redemption has already transpired. The renewing of the soul into new birth has already transpired and, having done so, is not truly subject to revocation. But, the process that has been initiated, like that of physical life maturing, is a process that never stops.
Where the Lord stays, change must come, and we see immediate evidence of that change in the response we see from Zaccheus. This is the voice not of self-justification, nor even of a man seeking to escape justice. It is the voice of a man who has been brought to recognize himself and knows he must make amends. It is not enough that he has been forgiven. He will not seek to write off all of his past sins by insisting he’s not the same man anymore. I’ve known those who would play that game, claiming rebirth in Christ as an excuse to set behind themselves all responsibility for past wrongs. How hideous! But, Zaccheus shows a true rebirth. “Lord, I will take this wealth of mine and see it supporting the poor. Those I have defrauded with excessive taxation I will see repaid fourfold.”
This is real repentance. It is also a very real acknowledgement that he knows full well that what he was doing was wrong. Nobody has been telling him that this is what pursuit of God requires of him. For one thing, he is a true son of Abraham, even as Jesus says. He has been raised to know the Law, whether he has been following it or not. He has had the benefit of being raised in the faith, even if he walked away from it in practice. So, when the blinders of the lost are removed from his mental eyes, he is familiar with the landscape he now sees. He knows what must be done, and he voluntarily seeks to do so. There is no coercion here! Repentance cannot be coerced. If it’s coerced it’s no more repentance than that emotional rush to the altar to profess faith in Christ is true, salvific faith. Raising your hand and repeating after me doesn’t seal the deal. That’s why so many that are seen and counted for doing this are not to be found under the roof of any house of God even a few short months later.
But, back to the repentance issue. Real repentance looks like what we see from Zaccheus. It’s not just an apology. It’s not just a praying that God will forgive as we contemplate our next opportunity to do the very same thing. It’s about seeking how to actively and purposefully begin doing the exact opposite. It’s about recognizing those of our wrongs that we can seek to right in some fashion (and more than right). This is what is going on here. That giving of wealth: that’s not so much an act of reparation as an active pursuit of the new course. This is a man that is no longer seeking to live for his own gain or his own comfort. He may continue in the same line of work, but he will do so henceforth in honesty and, I have little doubt, will require his deputies to act with equal honesty or else go find some other line of work.
This is something I think we lose sight of in repentance, and why our repentance has that awful habit of being only good for the next few moments. We fail to take an active step along the path back from that habit. I have seen something in the ways of deliverance ministry that reflects this idea. There is a way of praying that seems to prevail in that arena that prays not only for the removal of whatever evil influence is being dealt with, but also for the infusion of its opposite. This is well and good, but it is also a removing of our own responsibility in this whole repentance thing. That, of course, is nothing unique to the deliverance practitioners. It’s something more ubiquitous, particularly as we begin to realize our utter weakness.
I see it in some of my own prayer habits. I like to think I am only acknowledging my dependence upon God to effect the change that I know is needed, to admit to my inability to do it on my own. But, in many ways, those prayers are more accurately an attempt to shift responsibility, every bit as much as when folks try to blame the devil for their own sinful ways. It’s not enough to say, I’m sorry I did that, Lord, please help me not to do it again. It’s a start, but it’s not enough. Look long and hard at what Zaccheus does here. Starting today, I am giving half of what I own to help the poor. Right now, I am going to act in such a fashion as to make clear that I am committed to a change of character.
We are all to ready to accept a cheap repentance and think it enough. Oh, I prayed about that, so God will forgive me. Off I go, then. But, I go off to do it again. Listen, we are taking very real, incredible truths and making them excuses for our own laziness! Yes, He is faithful to forgive if we confess our sins (1Jn 1:9). But, that confession of our sins is more than simply admitting to our actions. It’s acknowledging the terrible sinfulness of those actions, acknowledging that in so acting we have made ourselves odious to the very God we claim to love so much.
You know, there’s a song built upon that verse which I am so familiar with that I am inclined to misquote the verse with the additional clause put in the song. If we confess our sins and turn away from them. This truly is the way I tend to remember the verse now, and I have to look it up each time and remind myself that the second clause isn’t written. But, it’s implied. Repentance requires that second step. Turn away! Start going the opposite direction! Admitting you are lost is of little value if you don’t start seeking out directions to get back on course. Turn away from it! Go the other way! Head back towards Home!
Zaccheus is committing himself, at least in verbal plans, to a new way of living. He cannot up and quit his job any more than those soldiers who came asking John the Baptist what his message of repentance signified for them (Lk 3:14). No! You don’t quit. You just stick to doing the job in righteous fashion, not taking advantage because you can, but doing right because you cannot in good conscience do otherwise.
Then, there is reparation. If I have defrauded, I will restore the loss fourfold. The NET notes that the grammar behind this statement is not propositional in nature, but certain. In other words, he is not holding out the vague possibility that maybe he accidentally overcharged somebody at some point. He is confessing. Yes, I know I have done this in the past, and I will not only repay the overcharges, but repay with interest. I will restore not only what I directly stole, but also the losses of what might have accrued on those stolen funds. Fourfold return! 400%! That’s a pretty good return for those who were so put out. Not that this makes his wrong right, but it makes it clear that he understands the scope of the change that he is being called to undertake.
Listen! Where the Lord stays, change must come. It cannot be otherwise. If Jesus is in residence, then the fruits of repentance will abound in us. If those fruits are not to be found, then I dare say, neither is Jesus.
I have been listening to some back editions of R.C. Sproul’s Message of the Month, which have been stacking up this year. Yesterday, he was speaking of the relationship of grace and faith and rebirth, about our tendency to want to reverse the order of things. We want to think that we had the faith to accept His grace, and lose sight of the fact that it is only by His grace that we have faith at all. Yes, it is all about Him and really, in any meaningful motive way, not about us. Yet, we are not uninvolved. We are creatures with conscience. We are moral creatures, and as such, our decisions have moral implications, like it or not. We cannot escape the responsibility for this, not even by pleading an all-powerful God. He is in control, but in some all but incomprehensible fashion, so are we. We are responsible for our actions, and responsible rather directly to Him. He says that we shall be judged for everything, even the idle words we speak. You know, even understanding my place in Christ, even knowing that He has paid it all on my behalf, this is not something I can look forward to, except for the moment when that court session has ended and I am told that I am free to go. I can only begin to imagine the relief I shall feel in that moment, to know that He Who has begun this good work in me has truly proven Himself faithful to complete it.
Much is made of the contrasts between this event and the healing of poor Bartimaeus. I would concentrate on a that which the two occasions have in common, and that is the true miracle of a life changed. In Bartimaeus, we see that change reflected in his immediate determination to follow Jesus. In Zaccheus it shows in his immediate commitment to a changed lifestyle. In both, the power of heaven is displayed, the grace of God in occasioning the rebirth of a man dead in his sins. In both, we have occasion to glorify God. The case of Bartimaeus might lead us to glorify God for restoring his sight, but that misses the greater glory. This man, even had he remained blind to the light of day, had been empowered to see the Truth of the Son of God, and that Truth so captivated his heart that to choose other than to follow became an impossibility in that very moment.
That is the greatest cause for glorifying God! He had ordained that this man should become devoted to the pursuit of God. That very same cause is displayed in Zaccheus although there is no physical manifesting of God’s power involved. He isn’t healed. He doesn’t suddenly become taller. He isn’t transported some great distance. In short, there is no miracle of that sort to be found. Yet, the miracle for Zaccheus is no less than for Bartimaeus. He is become a new creation in that very moment. No, actually, I don’t think that’s the case. I think he became aware of his own newness and the implications thereof in that very moment. The moment of change, however, came earlier. That moment of change prompted him to seek out that tree, and more importantly, to seek out that Jesus Who had come seeking him, the lost one that needed saving.
It is curious to me that we find this tax collector with such a name. How it must have rankled the people of Jericho. Transparent? Clean? This tax collector? Pure? But, everybody knew how he had come by that wealth. I am put in mind of the fact that Matthew had changed his name because of his profession, lest the opinion of the Jews against those who worked with Rome fall upon his family as well as himself. Zaccheus chose a different route, perhaps having no family to be concerned about. Indeed, I could almost picture such a one keeping that name for the very reason that he knew it would rankle those who rejected him.
What is more striking still is that this name proved so prophetic. Can I consider that from the parental perspective for just a moment? Somewhere back at the very start of this man’s life, he had parents and those parents, we can be sure, had great hope for this son that was born to them. They considered often just what they should name this son, and they concluded that the right name for that boy was, “Clean and pure”, Zaccheus. Let me suppose that his parents were faithful Jews. Let me suppose that they thought about more than just the sound of the name, or what the initials might accidentally spell out. You know, these are the things parents consider now, right? Will the name promote any sort of hurtful nicknames? Will the initials be embarrassing? Will junior have issues trying to spell his name? As much as we may feel compassionate in these questions, they are nothing but trivial. Frankly, such kids as wish to develop hurtful nicknames will do so regardless. And, if junior can’t spell his name, he’ll learn to.
Older cultures cared about something deeper. What destiny would this name speak for their child? Zaccheus’ name gives clear expression to the hopes of his parents. He will be clean and pure, upright, honorable, godly even. Can you imagine, then, the disappointment that must have filled their hearts to see the path that he traveled? What parent doesn’t know the anguish of watching their child choose a course through life that they would not have chosen? Obviously, there are plenty of parents who don’t have to experience this directly, but I wonder if there is a parent who cannot at least feel the pain of those who do.
Maybe this is why Zaccheus felt no need to change his name, because his family had disowned him the day he started working for the Romans. Maybe he is dead to them. Or at least they say as much. But, the truth is a child can never be dead to his parents, however odious he makes himself. He can only crush them by his choices, break their hearts daily by his lifestyle. Yet, I wonder if it could be that his parents were praying daily that God might restore their boy to them. It’s possible, you know.
What is clear to me, however, is that however much Zaccheus had failed to live up to the promise of his name prior to this moment, in that moment, Jesus had made him as he was named, as he was intended. This, too, is emblematic of the future that we have in store for ourselves. He writes a name upon us that only He knows, and friends, I assure you that name reflects the character that He Himself caused to become ours.
For this, I shall be eternally grateful. In this I find the depths of the compassion of my Lord, that He not only saved me from out of my sins, but that He has labored long upon me (a labor that continues yet) to shape me after His own perfect character. Here, in Jesus, I have found my elder Brother. Here, in Jesus, I find such compassion as leads Him to give His all that I might be found fit to stand with Him in the presence of His Father and mine. Much as He has done for Zaccheus, He does for me, causing my name to be true of me, which name bespeaks God’s Peace. Oh, that He shall make this my true heritage in Himself! Oh, that as I travel this life, I might indeed bear with me always that peace of God, and bear it not only within myself, but also in such fashion as shall pour out on those I encounter.
