Paying taxes sucks. Nobody enjoys it. Yes, we all understand that our taxes go to fund public infrastructure we all rely on. It goes to fund our common defense. These days, it is going to try to combat this covid-19 virus in a great many ways. So even with the waste, we know we need to pay it. Because if we just abandoned our infrastructure, gave away our common defense, and did nothing about covid – we would fast be overtaken by another country, or perhaps die from what we lack even before that could happen. But when the tax man comes each of us truly believes we always pay too much. The very rich have the money to hire accountants, and apply every law, and every loophole to avoid paying any penny they try to keep. The middle class can afford no special tax accountants, the poor have even less for such luxuries. So the brunt of our taxes are paid by us. And each time we see waste, or fraud, or abuse; it makes us mad. Each time the government chooses to spend money on projects like a bridge to nowhere, or offer subsidies to energy companies that already make billions in profits while paying nearly nothing in taxes – we feel cheated. It doesn’t really matter who is President, because the tax bill never stops coming, and the silliness in how government spends it, never seems to go away.
But imagine the unthinkable for a minute. Imagine if the US Treasury stated: … you know
what, we have more than enough this year.
In fact, we plan to return everything you paid this year back to
you. Not just what you paid in, but we
are going to send you 4 times that amount.
And because we have so much, we are going to take one half of all this
money and give it to the poor, who do not have money to put in, but so
desperately need our help ... This is a
pipedream right? It could not
happen? The most powerful and wealthy
nation on earth could never be so generous and survive such a thing. But it has happened before. The most powerful and wealthy nation had a
chief within its tax division who had become more than wealthy from his
position, and did everything I described above.
And here is the kicker, he may still have still had wealth beyond
measure even after providing these kinds of exponential tax returns and amends
to the citizenry in one of the biggest cities in the kingdom. In our day it would be like this happening
for every citizen in Los Angeles. In his
day it was to happen to every citizen of Jericho, under the government of Rome,
in the time of and because of Christ.
Luke tells this story in the 19th chapter of his
gospel letter to his friend about what we believe and why. This particular story was about a giant deed,
inspired in the heart, of a not so giant man.
He picks up in verse 1 saying … “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. [verse
2] And,
behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the
publicans, and he was rich. [verse 3] And he sought to see Jesus who he
was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.” Let’s face it, you did not get to become
“very rich” under Rome’s thumb, unless you served that kingdom so well, it was
in their financial interests to leave you alone. Otherwise, it is easier for Rome to just steal
your riches, kill you and be done with it.
But if you were a wealth machine, they were much less inclined to do
anything that would disrupt that flow of money.
So Rome was not the one who was cheated in this scenario. But to serve Rome, was to cheat Israel. If there was wealth involved, it was made off
the back of your fellow citizens, not taken from the coffers of Rome.
Yet wealth, no matter how much of it you have, cannot buy
you one inch more height in how your body develops. You can wear sandals that are padded and
provide a little more lift. You might
even wear some kind of boots that provide even more lift. But that does not do much, if you just wind
up growing up small. And since Jesus
could not be bought by any wealth, there was no way to buy an audience with
Him. You would have to find Him, to seek
Him out of your own initiative. That
meant putting aside the needs of your maintaining your wealth and making time
to go travel to wherever Jesus was. And
if you were very wealthy, you just never seemed to find time to go find
Jesus. Has it changed at all in our own
day? How many of us are so consumed with
the events of our lives, that we just cannot find the time to go find Jesus? After all, it takes time and dedication to
try to maintain the money and lives we have made for ourselves today. Jesus is secondary to that. Jesus can come later. And so often later just never comes.
Luke continues in verse 4 saying … “And he ran before, and climbed up
into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.” What Zacchaeus did have was an extensive
knowledge of the city. He knew the
routes through it. He knew the
geography. He knew where a large tree
had grown to overhang the road that passed underneath it. And he knew if he ran ahead of the crowd,
Jesus was sure to pass that way and offer Zacchaeus an unobstructed view of the
Savior of all mankind as He walked underneath.
Jesus however, had bigger ideas in mind than just a view. Luke picks back up in verse 5 saying … “And when Jesus
came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide
at thy house. [verse 6] And he made haste, and came down, and received him
joyfully.” Jesus gave Zacchaeus
not only a good look, He invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus to be hosted
there.
This was unheard of.
Not because any good Jewish citizen would not have died, to have a
respected man of faith, or holy man, or prophet, or Rabbi, come to their home
for any occasion under the sun. No,
because any such man like that was bound to hate the sin of betraying their own
nation to Rome, and so would have nothing to with a person like Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a sinner. It was public sin. Everyone knew it. Everyone had lost money to him, to build that
empire of wealth of his. He had cheated
pretty much all of them. So it is not
like he was making any attempt to hide who he was. He was a cheater who worked directly for the
Romans. In this he was committing
spiritual adultery with pagans who worshipped all manner of graven images of
war, and lust, and death. Zacchaeus was
funding all that. Zacchaeus had their
blessing because he took Israelite money out of the Temple sacrifices at
Jerusalem, and placed it into the arena at Rome. And in the process had become personally very
rich. That kind of man was evil, and he
knew it. No self-respecting prophet
would ever go near his home, for any reason under the sun. But Jesus was. And Zacchaeus was over-joyed at the prospect
and then the reality of it all.
The people, not so much.
Luke continues in verse 7 saying … “And when they saw it, they all
murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.” This was meant first to be a slight against
the prophetic abilities of Jesus. What
kind of decent prophet could not have foreseen what kind of man Zacchaeus
was? And what kind of decent Rabbi would
associate himself with the worst dregs of the city? This one act of mercy and love by Jesus, was
enough to offend the citizens of Jericho so much, they might actually abandon
Jesus entirely. But morbid curiosity
kept them watching. It was like watching
a train wreck. You don’t want to watch
it. You know it is going to be horrible. But you just cant help yourself as you want
to know how this grave mistake is going to work out. Perhaps Jesus has gone to Zacchaeus’ home to
sternly condemn and rebuke him like any other self-respecting Pharisee would
have done. Perhaps Jesus went there to
see if He could catch Zacchaeus with some Roman Statue of some demi-god put up
in his home so as not to offend any visiting Roman Dignitary that may stop
by. Maybe Jesus was going to burn down
that home with Zacchaeus inside, and all his family with him, like back in the
days of Moses. Those Old Testament
remedies for infidelity and adultery were no joke, and this whore Zacchaeus had
earned every one of them.
Luke continues in verse 8 saying … “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto
the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have
taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” The people were gathered at a safe distance
outside his home. Surely it was about to
get all fire and brimstone in here at any minute. Zacchaeus comes up to the door of his home so
both Jesus inside and all the people outside can hear him speak. Here it comes. Wait for it.
The lightning from heaven is sure to drop. Keep watching. And then … the unthinkable. Zacchaeus announces he is giving half of
everything he owns to the poor. WHAT!?! That is the farthest outcome anyone could
have imagined. And beyond that, for
anyone he has cheated, which lets be real is nearly everyone who lives in
Jericho – he plans to give back everything he took, and then 4 times that
amount more. What did he say? If we were going strictly according to Old
Testament remedies, all he would have to give back is what he took, plus 20%
not plus 400%. Again that was unheard
of. What did Jesus say to him in that
house? Did Jesus threaten him or
something? Well if He did, it sure
worked. No-one is this generous. Not any of us anyway. Especially not a tax collector. Especially not the head tax collector of the
whole region. How could this be?
Luke continues in verse 9 saying … “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he
also is a son of Abraham. [verse 10] For the Son
of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” It was the change in the heart of Zacchaeus
that Jesus took note of, as He had inspired and enabled it. One encounter with Jesus and His unfailing
love, and Zacchaeus was ready to turn around his entire model for wealth. He was giving it away, and giving it
back. The people were about to receive a
never expected windfall from a single source.
Salvation had come to that house, not because Zacchaeus had suddenly
become poor. There is no evidence in
fact that he was poor after the return of all this wealth. He may have had so much, that this barely put
a dent in him. Or he may have spent
every penny doing this. But he did way
more than anyone could have expected, least of all, himself. From stingy to sharing in the course of one
dinner with Jesus. A prophet had visited
his home, not just any prophet, but the long awaited Messiah who told him He
loved him. And it was love that moved
the heart of Zacchaeus. It was love that
melted that stone, and turned it back to a heart of flesh. No threats.
No worry of drinking bitter waters and having a thigh rot as in back in
the days of Moses for the spiritual infidelity he had been associated
with. Instead just a full restoration
with Jesus Christ, and salvation coming to his heart and home this very day.
And I wonder if our hearts are still capable of the lessons
of this story? For we too have wealth,
no matter how financially small it may be.
There are still and always will be others who are worse off than we are,
and have needs greater than our own. Do
we give ours away to meet the needs of another, or do we like the tax man
protect every penny and only look to add to the total every single minute? Have we grown comfortable taking from any
source no matter how poor? Have we even
grown comfortable compromising with the idea of taking what does not strictly
belong to us? Whether it is stolen
moments on a time card when no work is actually performed, or taking pens and
office supplies home from work that were never intended for that purpose – we
rationalize that because our employers are “rich” they can afford these losses,
that they expect them. But this is untrue. And it is still wrong, still theft, just
still all too common.
But with one encounter with the massive love of Jesus, can
we join with Zacchaeus and give away what binds us? Even if we have so much we do not lose it
all; can we give away what Jesus moves our hearts to give away, and in the
process find that salvation has come to our homes and hearts. Our time, our skills, there are many things
our neighbors could benefit from even when we do not have money. Can we give of ourselves? Let us not be the taxman, but rather be the
reformed man Zacchaeus experienced.
Unfaithful no more. And
understanding what salvation looks like as it enters our hearts and our homes.
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