Loving God, your concern is always for the lost and the outcast, and you continue to seek out those who need you the most.  Empower us this day by your Holy Spirit, helping us to see as you see and to love as you love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    As we continue our journey through the gospel of Luke, Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem.  And as he does so, today we hear about the third time that Jesus tells his disciples what is going to happen when he gets there.  He will be mocked and insulted.  He will be flogged and killed.  And then, on the third day, he will rise again.  This is the third time they have heard this, but they still can’t see it.  “What he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said” (Lk. 18:34).

    The blind man, by contrast, seems to have much better sight than the disciples.  He knows exactly who Jesus is, and he knows what Jesus can do.  And so he calls out to make sure that Jesus will not pass by without seeing him.  “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Lk. 18:38).  Those who are standing in front of him tell him to hush up, but he is not to be denied.  “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  His request for Jesus is very simple: “Lord, let me see again” (Lk. 18:41). And so Jesus heals him, for his faith has saved him.

    Zacchaeus, too, has trouble seeing, but for entirely different reasons.  He is apparently vertically challenged, and because there are so many people in the crowd, he can’t see.  And so, he climbs a sycamore tree to make sure that he will not miss his chance to see Jesus.

    Based on the amount of effort that Zacchaeus puts into this whole enterprise, he obviously has heard about Jesus.  Zacchaeus, even though he is rich, is longing for something more.  He has heard the people whispering that this Jesus was known to associate with tax collectors and sinners.  So Zacchaeus wants to find out for himself if it’s true.  He wants to see this man who seems to have the power to heal people and yet is rumoured to hang out with the wrong crowd.

    As it turns out, Jesus also wants to see Zacchaeus, and even knows him by name.  Come on down, Zacchaeus, “for I must stay at your house today” (Lk. 19:5).  This, it seems, is all that Zacchaeus needs to bring about a tremendous change in his life.  All of a sudden, his riches are not as important as he thought they were.  He immediately offers to give half of all his possessions to the poor and to pay back four times as much to anybody he has defrauded (cf. Ex. 22:1).  It is as if he suddenly grasps what the kingdom of God is all about.  He suddenly sees things differently, simply because Jesus has fully seen him.  And on that day, salvation comes to his house.

    The challenge for us with today’s gospel is to figure out where we fit into the picture.  Are we kind of like the disciples, who simply don’t get it and are unable to see what Jesus is getting at?  Or, do we have the same request as the blind man, “Lord, let me see again”?  Or maybe we’re kind of like Zacchaeus, longing for more and wanting to see Jesus for ourselves.  Or, are we the people in the crowd, telling the blind man to hush up and grumbling that Jesus is going to the house of a sinner?

    No matter which of these things describe us, there is hope for us.  After all, the disciples eventually understand everything, the blind man does receive his sight, the crowd ends up praising God, and Zacchaeus ends up finding all that he was hoping for in Jesus.  It is Zacchaeus, though, who seems to beckon us to spend a little more time with him today.
 
    Our gospel ended today with a statement of purpose from Jesus: “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:10).  In this case, it was Zacchaeus who was among the lost.  He was an outcast because of his line of work, and further despised because of his greed.  The only social circle he would have had would have been the other tax collectors.  Thus, he wouldn’t have been welcome in the religious community, nor would he have been acknowledged by any of the religious leaders of his day.  Thus, he truly was a lost soul, and no reason had been given him to change any of his behaviour until he met Jesus.

    Because of Jesus, he found a new community among the disciples, and repented of his greed and his defrauding of people.  And Jesus announces not only that salvation has come to his house, but also that he is a son of Abraham.  It is almost like a reminder to the people around him that this man also has value in the sight of God.

    The thing is, though, that Jesus is still all about seeking and saving the lost.  And so, who are the people today who are excluded from community and shunned by religious leaders?  Who are the people today who are longing for more and who would love to see Jesus?  Who are the people today that Jesus would call by name because today he needs to come to their house?

    Our purpose continues to be to share the love of God with all people, and as we do so, we are the body of Christ in this world.  Jesus is not dead, but living, and active through the Holy Spirit, working through people just like you and me.  While most of us tend to have all sorts of reasons why we could never do anything much, we could never do it on our own anyway.  It is only when we allow the Spirit of God to work within us and through us that we become vehicles of God’s love and mercy in this world.

    And so, today we give thanks that Jesus came to seek out and to save us.  Today we give thanks for the faith that brings new vision and for the Holy Spirit who teaches us all we need to know.  For Jesus continues to seek out and to save the lost, even as we are empowered and renewed in God’s love.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Lent 5 (NL 3)                                Luke 18:31 - 19:10
April 2, 2017
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2017 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved