Saint Andrew’s Church
Lake Worth,
Florida
Eve of Pentecost XXII [Oct. 30, 2004]
Canon Richard T. Nolan
ZACCHAEUS
In tonight’s Reading
(Luke 19:1-10) we hear a familiar New Testament theme:
a despised rich and corrupt Jewish individual earnestly seeks some sort
of fellowship with
Jesus; without hesitation Jesus becomes a guest in his home
despite the disapproval of the crowd; in his encounter with Jesus, the
outcast has
a change of heart and is genuinely repentant; and, salvation,
a new life, deliverance from hardness of heart, comes into his life. His
spirit realigned
with God’s Word, he can begin to live as an authentic Jew, a “son
of Abraham. ”
Despite all his comforts,
chief tax collector Zacchaeus (pronounced za-kee’ uhs) evidently
felt that something significant was lacking in his life. We can only
speculate about
the extent to which he had been searching for a remedy. He
must have heard something compelling about Jesus, because he was willing
to climb a tree
to see the Lord. His perception of the Word of God personified
in Christ appealed to him as the clue to human fulfillment. Taking this
Word into
his own life was the route to go. Such is the brief story of
Zacchaeus, one who was lost and then restored to the people of God. Such
is the story
of many people over the centuries.
In January a newspaper
magazine had as its front page feature a picture of a man looking
at many doors he could walk through. Accompanying the illustration were
these words: “Having
a lot of options makes us happy, right? Maybe not, says a noted
social scientist: Do we have too many choices?”1 The article concludes
with the comment: “This is the paradox: Here we are, living at
the pinnacle of human possibility, awash in material abundance. We get
what we say we
want, only to discover that it doesn’t satisfy us. The success of
21st-century life turns out to be bittersweet. And I believe
that a significant contributing factor is the overabundance of
choices. ”
Although the magazine
author was referring to a flood of choices in various products
(such as clothes and toothpaste), it occurred to me that nowadays we
have no shortage
of competing philosophies, religions and spiritualities with
which many people try to give deeper meaning to their lives. Furthermore,
many of
these outlooks have very different consequences for one’s daily life
and relationships. For example, the devout, informed Buddhist has a markedly
different understanding of life and relationships with ultimate reality
or God, and with one’s neighbor and oneself when compared to a devout,
informed Conservative Jew. “Pioneering” Episcopalians call
for a somewhat different way of living and relating to God, neighbor, and
self than “preserving” Episcopalians intent on preserving the
past. That someone is seeking “spirituality” for fulfillment
is too vague to have much meaning today, because the word “spirituality” can
refer to dozens of very different, even dissimilar, experiences. Today’s
seeker has a smorgasbord of philosophies, religions, and spiritualities
from which to choose. Furthermore, seekers are looking for something that “works.” However
chosen, beliefs matter when they affect one ’s
daily life.
It would be fascinating to know
what Zacchaeus found so convincing about Jesus. Christ was living fully
his own fundamental Jewish heritage. Perhaps it was just that: Jesus was
living God’s purposes completely, yet was not caught up in unnecessary,
man-made complexities of his religion. Jesus had set aside the 613 religious
rules and regulations imposed by the religious leadership. Instead, he
radiated in his own personality and teachings Judaism’s wonderful
basic simplicity.
Here is a reminder of five primary beliefs of his heritage, beliefs he
upheld:
| (1) |
The Creator of the Universe, of all that is seen and
unseen, is the personal “One, Only, and Holy God” called
to mind by the biblical passage, “Hear, O Israel, the
Lord our God, the Lord is One. ” |
| (2) |
The created universe is basically real and good; it is not an illusion. |
| (3) |
Human nature is essentially good; made “in the
image of God,” all human beings have the capacity to think,
to love, and to choose their values and ultimate concerns with
genuine inner freedom. |
| (4) |
The one authentic God of creation chose the Hebrew people
to carry out the mission of bringing all human beings to a knowledge
of God, of being “a light to the nations.” The Jewish
community accepted its selection and responsibilities as revealed
through the Hebrew prophets and through pivotal historical events. |
| (5) |
Within this faith community, God’s will affects
all of life. The whole person is to respond to God’s call
in every aspect of life. Loving obedience to God’s will
of love and justice characterizes the ethical comprehensiveness
of Judaism. (Jesus clarified the “Summary of the Law” as
the only moral absolute. 2) |
Perhaps Zacchaeus had never grasped these workable essentials.
Perhaps all he had known were the multitude of rules, customs,
and verbiage invented
by
smug, rigid religious leaders over the centuries. Perhaps with this limitation,
he had concluded that his religion was empty of deeper meaning, that
is, until he met the one who lived it fully, yet simply.
In recent years I found that most of my college students had
all but rejected their religious heritages as unpersuasive and unworkable,
although
many were searching for deeper meaning for their lives. Those
who were still involved, especially Christians, were, for the most part,
closed-minded,
inflexible fundamentalists. In contrast, some searchers dipped
superficially into an array of pop-philosophies, amateurish do-it-yourself
religions,
and trendy - often narcissistic – speedy spiritualities that wear
off in a fairly short time.
As was Zacchaeus, a multitude of contemporary people are at the “up-the-tree” stage.
They are looking for that “something else.” In a recent project
about the future of Christian faith in America, we are warned about the
shallowing of religion and the need for reversing this trend. For Christians,
it is implied that: (1) We should exchange trendy spiritualities for the
thoughtful and heartfelt religion lived by Jesus Christ; we ought to give
up superficial fads and cultivate a dependable, personal relationship with
God. (2) We should let God be God: the personal, demanding, caring Creator
of all that is. God is not just an anonymous higher power or a vague, impersonal
state. (3) We ought to test our faith by commitment and show our beliefs
in actions that benefit our faith community and beyond. (4) We need to
exchange mere sentimentality for genuine love, that is, a devoted application
of our convictions to daily living. And, (5) we should learn the fundamental
content of the faith in its well-researched, mainstream schools of thought;
informed religion rises above harmful ignorance, superstition, magical – even
delusional - thinking, bigotry, and inflexible rules.
Of course, people who refuse to make the time and effort to grow
in these matters, or who hate to make decisions and commitments, or who
demand electronic
gadgetry and loud music accompanying their efforts will at
best remain up a tree. However, I suspect that most of those who carefully
examine
the religion lived by Jesus will, like Zacchaeus, experience
a change of heart and discover a new, fulfilling and challenging life
with profound
meaning and inner contentment. I would add as a postscript
that it seems to me that clergy must make a renewed commitment to grow
in our own comprehension
of the faith in both heart and mind, so that we can provide
persuasive, workable guidance to those who are seeking and for those
who want to continue
to grow in our Lord ’s love and service.
1PARADE (Sunday, January 6, 2004)
2“You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second
is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments
depend all other laws and the prophets.”