Sermon Luke 19: 1-10

Sermon         Luke 19: 1-10  “From a Tree to a Table”

Collaboration of Steve Estep, Nancy Cantrell, Jimmy Skeen

 

     Grooms and grade-school kids. One of the things they have in common is they need someone to tell them where to go. (Be careful).  Example: In most weddings, the groom has needed all the help he can get. Seeing the bride in her gown is enough to cause him to lose his senses. Most get so nervous they don’t even know where to stand. That’s why preachers make them repeat things…  The same thing happens when kids in a Christmas program step onto a platform in front of a crowd, stage fright takes over. They forget what they’re supposed to say, and where they are supposed to go. But we in the pastoring/teaching world have developed a remedy helps both grooms and grade-school kids.

     (Hold up roll of masking tape) Two pieces of masking tape make all the difference in the world. A little X on the carpet marks the spot for a groom to stand if he wants to be in the right place at the right time. When you’re in a wedding, you do not want to be in the wrong place.  A little X on the stage marks the spot for any young actor to be in the right place at the right time. When you are in a Christmas program, you do not want to be in the wrong place.

     When he got word that a celebrity was coming to town he wanted to be in the right place at the right time to see him.

He was used to always having the best seats with the best view. World Series, Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, Opera (although I must say I’m not sure who would want front row opera tickets) – he never had to worry about not being able to see because his seats were always in the front row. You can do that when you’re filthy rich. He could make money at the drop of a hat.  So what if other people were getting poor, he was getting rich. He was rolling in it. So on this particular day if he could have paid for a seat it wouldn’t have been a problem but there were no tickets for this event. No special treatment.

     The crowd had already formed and there was no room at the front. The same people he had cheated out of their taxes were standing in front of him. And in no mood to give him a free pass to the front. The vertically challenged tax man had a view that consisted of backs, arms, and elbows. More than once he got an elbow on his chin; a heel ground into his toe or a shove from the side.  Those in the crowd weren’t overly obvious, but they did take advantage of the pressing bodies to conceal a well placed jab in the kidneys. How they hated him. It didn’t take much of that for the tax man to be bruised up and looking for a way out. It was totally unlike him to subject himself to that kind of humiliation anywhere, but there was something compelling him to see this particular celebrity.  Somehow he was willing to pay a much higher price for this view than he’d ever paid before.

     Finally, he squirmed out of crowd ran ahead, anticipating the place where the celebrity might cross.  He located a tree, climbed it and found a comfortable place to sit with his feet dangling and his mind racing, he waited to catch a glimpse, not sure of what he would see or even why he wanted to see it.  But he knew this was one day when he wanted to be in the right place at the right time, no matter what.

     Now, this particular celebrity could have gone to the temple and hob-knobbed with the Billy Graham of his day. He could have stopped at the home of the mayor for a fancy sit-down dinner.  He could have just kept going and not stopped anywhere else in Jericho, but He didn’t. When Jesus neared the place where the tax man was perched, he didn’t hesitate. Like a groom on his wedding day or a kid in the Christmas program he was drawn to it. On the ground beneath Zacchaeus he saw it. An “X” marked the spot of an encounter with a short tax man with a fat wallet who was hungry to find more than he could pay for, who was ready for a life-change. Somehow Jesus knew. He always does. He can always tell when people are ready for an encounter with Him.  
     Jesus stopped at the base of the sycamore tree, looked up through the leaves, and called out. “Zacchaeus, come down. I must come to your house today.” Zacchaeus shimmied down the tree like a little kid going down a slide. My house? My house? He’s coming to my house!  Zacchaeus didn’t know what all it meant but he did know this – Jesus wasn’t afraid to go home with him. In fact, He insisted on it. Of course Zacchaeus could have said no, but why on earth would he have done that? It never makes sense to say no when Jesus wants to come home with you.

     The two of them walked side by side, the crook and the Christ, all the way to Zacchaeus’ house, while the bewildered crowd wondered why on earth Jesus would go to the home of a sinner like Zacchaeus. He was a liar, a cheat, and a traitor. But curiosity got the best of them and they kept following. Sometimes curiosity gets us to a place where we can see something Jesus wants to show us about himself. That’s the way it was with this crowd.  They followed all the way to the house and got the surprise of their lives. 

     After a few minutes inside with Jesus, Zacchaeus came out with a wheelbarrow full of money. He told the people to line up, just like the lines they had formed to come and pay their taxes.  Only this time instead of demanding money from them, Zacchaeus was giving his money away, ½ of his money to the poor. He repaid everyone he had cheated 4x the amount he has stolen. You should have heard the crowd then. Instead of saying, “Little sawed-off, thieving weasel” they were saying

“Can you believe this? I sure didn’t expect to walk away with any of Zacchaeus money in my pocket! Amazing! What’s happened here?”  Zacchaeus spends a little time around a table with Jesus and all of sudden his whole attitude towards money changes. Instead of grabbing more of it, he’s giving it away.

The guy spends a little time at a table with Jesus and all of sudden the way he treats other people is radically rearranged. He doesn’t just say,”I’m sorry,” He shows “I’m sorry.” If Jesus can change a guy like Zacchaeus, He can change anyone. He spends a little time at a table with Jesus and his actions cause other people to notice the change! If Jesus can change Zacchaeus, He can change anyone.

Read the text: Luke 19: 1-10 NIV    ¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ²A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.  ⁵When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." ⁶So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.  ⁷All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "  ⁸But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "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." ⁹Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

     Zacchaeus made a little journey that day - from his home, through the town, past the crowd, and beyond all the barriers, to a sycamore tree. Jesus walked through Jericho past the synagogue, the businesses, the priests, the people, to a sycamore tree. Jesus saw an X that marked the spot where He wanted to transform the life of Zacchaeus.

     This morning you and I made a little journey as well - from your home, through town, past the crowd and beyond all the barriers until you arrived here. This morning I believe if you look close enough right between your feet you might be able to see it - an X that marks the spot where Jesus wants to have an encounter with you.  Right here and right now is the spot; the spot where your journey toward Jesus and His journey toward you come together. It’s an encounter waiting to happen, and it’s a lot more than a one-time good feeling or emotional high.  If it’s anything like the encounter Zacchaeus had with Jesus, it can be the beginning of relationship changing everything.

For him, it started at a tree and moved to a table – a table where life was shared and a relationship built. I guess as far as Jesus is concerned, there is no way to come to a person’s heart without going to their home.  Can you hear Him? “Come down from that tree, I’d love to come to your heart today, I’d love to come to your house today.” It doesn’t matter if this is your first encounter with Jesus or a renewing, a refreshing, a healing, a restoring encounter. It’s change all the same.

     (Move to communion table) This is another place where we move from a tree to a table – from the Tree of Calvary, to the Table of grace where Jesus invites us to have life with Him.  More than just remembering, we believe we encounter Him here, here in this sacrament (Break the bread) of love, love that left his body broken, (Hold up cup) his blood shed.

At this table Jesus gives grace –

Grace that accepts sinners; grace that forgives;

Grace that has the power to change the way we handle our possessions;

Grace that has the power to change the way we see and treat people.

That’s the kind of thing that can happen when we spend a few minutes at a table with Jesus. And here, at this table, we’re all invited to a front row seat. 

     Here at this table all are welcome. If you have never been to this church before it doesn’t matter you are welcome. All we ask is that you desire an encounter with Christ, to stand on the X and allow Him to have a relationship with you.

If you would move to the two center aisles tear off a small piece of bread and hear the words, “The body of Christ broken for you.” Then dip it in the cup and hear the words “The blood of Christ which was shed for you.” Then partake right there, knowing you are in the right spot at the right time, experiencing a relationship with Jesus who is already there.

 

BENEDICTION

“Come down out of that tree, I’m coming to your house.” Go forth with God’s blessing. Follow the journey with joy. Walk with Jesus side by side. Share your encounter with the world. Amen