The Rev. Richard Lampert
Pent. 23 / Lk. 19.1-10
“Then Zaccheaus stood up and said unto the Lord……….” NIV
People like Zaccheaus were hated by all other Jews. Not only was he the “chief local tax collector”, but he was also a very wealthy man. Men like Zacche-aus were all known as corrupt, dishonest, extortionists and believed to be totally manipulated by the hated Roman oppressors. No wonder that the crowd then begins to grumble and angrily move toward both Jesus and Zacchaeus. But, in the midst of it all, Zaccheaus “stands up” (NIV) and says, OK “here’s the deal”, this is what I’ll do…. . He takes his stand!
Now let us remember that Zaccheaus stands up among some very strong Biblical company: people like Saul-St. Paul (Acts 9); Nicodemus (John 3) or even The Rich Young Man (Mt. 19) who tried to “stand”, but could not quite do so. All of these stories [there are many more] are about people who “stood up” with much trepidation and were surrounded by great hostility, but then asked for and bravely proclaimed their faith. Thinking this past week about this story and others, and you and me, certain images came to my mind. Can a camel ever pass through the eye of a needle? Can a rich man ever really get into heaven? Can you or I really stand up again, or pass through the eye of our faith needle, or even keep on going day after day or perhaps even one day walk with Him through those pearly gates into eternal life? I even woke up one morning with these old words running through my head: “…..I’ve seen a peanut stand, heard a rubber band and I’ve seen a needle that winked its eye. But I’ve done seen about about everything when I’ve seen an elephant fly!” I laughed out loud! [1941 Walt Disney’s ‘Dumbo’]
With the exception of flying elephants, I want to say as emphatically and loudly as I possibly can that, yes we can! Yes sir and yes ma’am all of these things are indeed possible in and through Jesus Christ. Philip.4.13 It doesn’t matter how small your needle’s eye is, or how rich or poor a man or woman you are, how many times you’ve fallen down, been unable to stand up, how many times you’ve failed before, or how broken and beaten up you are and feel by pain or sickness or sorrow or fear! None of that can prevent you from standing up and walking anew with Christ. It doesn’t matter! The Bible’s message & Jesus’ own words and actions say the same thing over and over again: (1) Repent, turn away from your sins and sorrows and self alone; (2) Stand up! (3) Believe in Christ! Trust Him; (4) Ask Him, walk again with Him on your life’s journey. He will lift you up, carry you, and “you shall mount up again with wings like eagles.” Is.40
Finally, [of course, no surprise here] I’ve got to say something about Billy Graham and the course which starts this coming Wednesday! Our lives are all always a journey (Zaccheaus and you and me), at times a joy, often a struggle. God put us here on this earth and He wants to walk with us on our jour-neys. You and I cannot erase the past, but with His help we sure can change today and our future. That’s what this course is all about: making our life now the very best possible journey ever! We know that we’re always free to choose or reject God. When we travel alone, we rebel against God, become separated from Him, alienated from one another and our own selves. Can we ever begin anew? Of course we can! That’s really what the book and course are all about. Every idea in the text is like a mirror which reflects upon our own lives. This book caught me totally by surprise, but I want to tell you that it has really helped me in my own life! So where does the power and the strength for the journey come from, us or from God? That’s something we must all decide that for ourselves.
“Then Zaccheaus stood up and said unto the Lord……!” In my own life its taken me many long years to really understand that I cannot do it all on my own. Now some days, thanks be to God, I am truly able to stand up with Him and be filled with the Power and Spirit and the Hope of the Lord. Please pray for me as I shall pray for all of you. I wish you all the very best on your own journey. AMEN