For Next Week: Zacchaeus
READ: Luke 19:1-10
LISTEN: I can barely read the name of this lesson without singing an old Sunday School song in my head. However, since most of the time, when I bring up these songs, everyone else looks at me like I'm crazy, I'm including a video of the song for your (and mostly my) entertainment... Happy listening!
PRAY: Like many of the stories we’ve been reading in the last few weeks, this story may seem familiar to you. Pray that through it, God will reveal something new. In all the ordinary tasks of your life this week, give thanks to God for His Words in the prophet Isaiah, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (43:19) and ask God help you to experience His newness in your life.
DO: Think of someone you would like to invite to worship this week. Use this as an opportunity to share your faith and help a friend /co-worker / neighbor / relative come closer to God. (You don’t have to be pushy – just express that worship is something important to you and you’ld like to share it with them…even if they decline the invitation, you’ll have had the opportunity to share about your faith and plant a seed in them for the Spirit to water).
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PONDER:
Remember a person who showed you love even (or particularly) if you did not deserve it. Where was God in this encounter? How did you respond?
In what ways is the “crowd” (or popular opinion) sometimes an obstacle for you seeing Jesus? How do you work past these obstacles to get closer to God? How does God reach through them to get closer to you?
Why did the crowd grumble when Jesus went to visit Zacchaeus (19:7)? Do you find yourself more often in the place of the crowd or of Zaccheus? Where is God in each place (note that after his visit with Zacchaeus Jesus continues to address the crowd in the following verses)?
Why did Zacchaeus receive salvation? What did he do? How does this relate to what St. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9?
Some people talk about “tithing” – giving 10% of one’s income – as a biblical model for Stewardship. How does this story model a different kind of Stewardship?
Tax Collectors
At this point in history, the Roman Empire was in control of most of the Near East – including Galilee and Judea. Rome taxed each annexed province, in theory, to pay for the government and military protection that they provided. These taxes also helped to fund further expeditions and make control of additional provinces a profitable thing for the Empire. Because of already existing systems in various provinces, taxation varied from place to place. Taxes were collected by both the governing officials and hired professionals (“publicans” or “tax collectors”), and in most provinces, often by both.
A tax collector was an employee of the Roman Empire. Most tax collectors were natives of their region; however, they were rejected by their communities because they were seen as “selling out”. This rejection was particularly strong in Judea, where the religious element added to their distrust. They were not welcome at the synagogue and were considered ritually unclean by the religious authorities because of their association with the Romans (gentiles).
Tax collectors bid at auction for the privilege of their position, and paid the Roman government in advance, once a year, the imposed taxes for their region (a minimum of one denarius (day’s wage) per adult). They then earned their profit from any additional monies that they were able to collect, especially coming from customs duties, road tolls, and products, such as salt that were held by government monopoly. Although they were always treated with suspicion, by the beginning of the first century the power of the tax collectors had led to major abuses and the tax collectors had become quite rich as a result. Most government officials supported these abuses for their own benefit and illegal extra charges were wide spread, often extracted with the use of physical violence and abuse. (For a vivid image of this, see the beginning scenes of The Nativity Story, 2006).
Rich People
While tax collectors are often among the unexpected people with whom Jesus associates in Luke’s Gospel account, rich people are usually portrayed as the ones with whom the world associates and with whom Jesus spends little time. Remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31) and Mary’s song (1:46-55). See also the Jesus’ exchange with the rich ruler almost immediately preceding this account (18:18-30).
“The initial description of Zacchaeus [in 19:2] should warn the reader against stereotyping real people on the basis of Luke’s previous literary descriptions, for Luke makes it clear that simple and clear categories of whom God accepts and rejects are inadequate (see Acts 10-11)” (Boring & Craddock, The People’s New Testament Commentary, 253).
Repentance
The word for repentance in Greek is metanoia which literally means a “turning about” or a “change of mind.” John the baptizer gives specific instructions for how this repentance should look for tax collectors in Luke 3:7-14 (esp. v.13). The Old Testament also contained instructions for how one was to enact repentance, so that it restored justice rather than remaining a purely emotional feeling; however, the people’s request of John indicate that these had already fallen into disuse and were being interpreted loosely. Zacchaeus goes further than John’s instructions and returns to these scriptural laws (see Exod. 22:1; Lev. 6:1-7; see also 2 Sam. 12:5-6) demonstrating that he wants to more than make up for the wrongs that he has done.
According to the Oxford Guide to the Bible (ed. Metzger & Coogan), "Emotional and even public acknowledgment of prior wrongdoing is but the first step toward forgiveness: remorse must be accompanied by resolve to ceasee doing wrong and do what is right (Isa. 1:17-18, 27; Amos 5:14-15)...These ideas are summed up in the great prophetic concept "turn", meaning both a turning from sin and a returning to right action."
The Bible connects repentance with sacrifice; however, in the case of one's sin being against another person, restitution is also required; however, these offerings alone did not assure forgiveness...the inner turning of heart was necessary after restitution had been met.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
God’s love extends beyond all boundaries/categories.
What do we know about Zacchaeus?
What about Zacchaeus makes Jesus’ response to him predictable/expected? What makes it unexpected?
What “kind of people” does God love? Who does God save?
“Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham” (v. 9).
What causes Zacchaeus to be saved? Who is responsible (see Ephesians 2:8-9)?
What does it mean to be a “Son of Abraham” (see Genesis 26:1-5; Luke 3:7-14; Romans 8:14-17)?
What does this verse say to us today?
“Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much” (v. 8).
How did Zacchaeus’ response compare to the response required by law (Leviticus 6:1-7)?
How does Zacchaeus’ response compare to Jesus’ instructions to the rich ruler (Luke 18:22)?
How does Zacchaeus’ response compare to the Old Testament practice of tithing (see Gen. 14:20; 28:20-22; Lev. 27:30-33)?
What kind of offering does God desire of us? (see Amos 4:4-5; Luke 11:41-42; Psalm 40:6-8)
You’ll find Grandma’s version of the Zacchaeus song at:
http://www.mygrandmatime.com/3019-2/visit-with-grandma/sing-with-grandma/zacchaeus/
Shirley/Grandma
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