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Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues
Every Wo/man
Summary
Zacchaeus stands as all of us: Insignificant sinners in need of God’s grace (Luke 19:7).
Context
Saint Francis is the patron saint of insignificant creatures.
The most recent canonized saints could be you or me, but they aren’t celebrities.
Like little Zacchaeus, this man could have been easily overlooked.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
I live in France and I can imagine that Zacchaeus would have been thought of and treated in a similar way to the French citizens who collaborated with the puppet Vichy (Nazi) government in 1940-44. Zacchaeus collected taxes for the dreaded Roman occupiers. When I first started visiting France decades ago, I was warned never to ask anyone who had lived through The Occupation what he or she did during the war. There remained, and remains to this day, great bitterness towards those who served the Vichy government. Such would have been Zacchaeus’s predicament.
Notice that the very first words Luke’s Gospel has Zacchaeus say are a statement of his righteousness according to Jewish law (see Ex. 22:1 and Lev. 6:5). Despite the fact that Zacchaeus received Jesus “joyfully”, did he think that Jesus was as liable to condemn him as his fellow Jews? “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” (19:7). Well frankly, who isn’t a sinner — particularly with respect to the 613 laws found in the Hebrew Bible!? That is one of the ways in which Zacchaeus represents all of us. One infraction renders one a “sinner”. The story of Zacchaeus is not unlike the medieval morality play “Everyman”, as we are all in the same boat. However, for Jews, it is also the case that the number of laws reflects the magnitude of God’s grace. If there were only two or three laws and we broke them, then what hope for us? But no-one can break all 613 laws!
Questions for discussion
- If Mr Jesus pitched up at your house, what might be your first statement? Would you be aware of guilt and seek to justify yourself or might you have questions for Jesus? In either case, what would you say?
- “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.” These are Jesus’ first words to Zacchaeus. Jesus doesn’t take Zacchaeus through the entire 613 laws to see how his behaviour matches up. What is Jesus’s mission as regards Zacchaeus?
Revd Dr Jack Lawson is a freelance writer and novelist: Doing Time, No Good Deed, Criminal Justice, The Woods and Dirty Business. His most recent novel, Joab, (Wipf & Stock) is based on the life of King David. For more information visit: www.jacknlawson.com; https://jacknlawson.com/blog; https://wingsepress.com/pages/lawson-jack-n
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
The World Health Organisation estimates that 4.1% of 10– to 14-year-olds and 5.3% of 15– to 19-year-olds experience an anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder causes excessive fear or worry which may be about something specific, or a broad range of everyday situations. Whilst the causes of anxiety disorders are complex, research indicates that using social media to get their news can lead to so-called ‘headline stress’ in young people.
As an adult watching the news, with its menu of racial injustice, climate change, political divisiveness, domestic terrorism, war and cost of living headlines, is anxiety inducing, even without experiencing any of the situations described. I can only imagine how it might feel as a young person.
This week Paul writes to the Thessalonian church to encouraging them to celebrate all that God is doing in their lives. It is a reminder of how easy it is to get caught up in the negatives of life, rather than watching for and celebrating where God is at work in our lives and the world.
Questions for discussion
- Where do the group get their news from?
- What news stories have they heard this week that are on their hearts and minds?
- Where do they see God at work in these situations?
- Where have they seen God at work in their lives this week?
You could encourage the group to keep a record of where they see God at work in their lives and the lives of others.
Victoria Etherington is University and Young Adult Chaplain in the York Methodist Circuit.
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