AfterWords: "Towards Jerusalem - What We See (Divine Reversals)"

 

Luke 19:1-10

Many of us learned the song in VBS or Sunday School or somewhere along the way: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see….” We learned the words and the motions. But hearing the story and learning the song in our childhood did not reveal the real importance of this encounter, did not reveal the joyful ‘divine reversals’ this story shows us as we dive a little deeper.

Zacchaeus decides he wants to see Jesus, so he elbows through the crowded streets and finds a tree that he hopes Jesus will walk under or walk near as he’s passing through Jericho. Surprisingly, Jesus ends up spotting Zacchaeus and comes right to the tree. As the song says, “And he said, Zacchaeus, you come down! For I’m going to your house today….” Even as Zacchaeus was looking to see Jesus, Jesus sees Zacchaeus first.

We know Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, that he is on the road and passing through the city of Jericho. But, everything changes when Jesus spots Zacchaeus in that sycamore-fig tree. Now, “…I’m going to your house today.” That doesn’t mean walk past the house; this likely means a meal, a long, drawn out visit that will probably include slaughtering a goat, rounding up vegetables, baking bread. While Luke doesn’t say so, it could even mean spending the night if the day is mostly gone. In any case, Jesus has gone from “passing through” to “I’m going to your house.”

We hear at the beginning of the recorded encounter that Zacchaeus was a wealthy chief tax-collector. After encountering Jesus, after welcoming Jesus into his house, Zacchaeus experiences a profound change. “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (v.8). He may very well lose his standing as Chief Tax-Collector, and he is certainly parting with well over half his wealth (1/2 to the poor and then four-fold repaid to those he’s cheated). We would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful and exemplary picture of “repentance” in Scripture. Here, Zacchaeus has experienced a profound change of heart and mind—a reversal to be sure, and that change is lived out in his actions.

Zacchaeus becomes an example for us. He looks for Jesus. He takes time out of his day to receive Jesus in his home. He allows the change of heart and mind to be expressed in his words and deeds. And, Jesus? He is looking for all who are lost (not in the right place, out of place, unintentionally wandering). He is ready to take time to sit with us, to see us, to be with us. Much more than a VBS song, this encounter gives us the hope of divine reversals in our own lives as strive to see Jesus.

Sunday, April 6, 2025
“Towards Jerusalem: What We See (Divine Reversals)”
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