I've been writing a daily reflection from a passage that others are reading along with me as we attempt to read thru the New Testament in a Year. I'm going to begin to post these to the blog also in case someone wants to come along, but not through Facebook. We're in late April, so I apologize for thinking about this so late, but we still have 8 months to go, and all we've done so far is Matthew, Mark, and up to this section on Luke's gospel. Here's where I will re-begin with you:
It is Thursday and in our reading thru the New Testament this year we come to Luke 18:31 to 19:10. The chapter division is not as important to observe sometimes, and this is one of those times. After reading the Scripture come back so that we can think a bit more about the passage.
Our reading began with Jesus taking his disciples aside, one more time, to make sure they understood why they were headed to Jerusalem. Jesus was going there to die! His mission was to take his life and offer it to the Father as a sacrificial offering on Passover. He who had never sinned, would “become sin for us, that we might receive the righteousness of God”. The disciples didn’t understand, and unfortunately many around us, living near us, sometimes family and even church members, still don’t understand it. Now Luke begins to demonstrate that the salvation Jesus procures reaches to all sorts of people.
As they get nearer to Jerusalem they have to pass through Jericho. There were actually 2 Jerichos during this time. The old Jericho had been supplanted by a new Jericho King Herod had built for his own pleasure. It is recorded in the other Gospels that Jesus actually had 2 encounters with blind beggars - probably one in each of the two Jerichos. Luke tells us that as Jesus walked along he heard a commotion...someone was yelling from the side of the road. He was a blind beggar. He had heard the crowd coming towards him and as they walked past he asked, “what’s going on?” Someone told him it was Jesus. He could not contain himself after hearing of all the miracles Jesus had done, so he began to yell - “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” It is an amazing scene. The man is desperate - he is blind, and his career consists of sitting by the road begging. He calls out to Jesus...not as Messiah, nor Lord, but as “Son of David”...the promised heir of God’s King. He cries out for mercy. Mercy is God’s graceful giving to us that which we don’t deserve. It’s a short prayer...but one well worth our memorizing. “Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me!” Does he hear? Does he care? As then, so now, YES!
The crowd around Jesus is telling him to “shut up, don’t bother Jesus, he’s not here for you!” Not true...he cannot believe Jesus would not want to hear him, so he keeps yelling it out...”Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him. They led the blind man over and Jesus asked him a question he oftened asked those who he encountered, “what do you want me to do for you?” The response was quick and sure - “I want to see again”. He had once seen, and had gone blind - something that happens in 3rd world countries even today. Disease, poor nutrition, bad environmental factors all create many who get cataracts, glaucoma, degenerative eye disease, blindness. I will never forget a medical mission I once was on. I went with some doctors to Mexico where we spent 10 days doing surgeries on people’s eyes. One day a man in his 70’s was operated on. His family led him out with his eyes completely covered after the surgery. The next day he returned with his family leading the way. The doctor unwound the bandage and held his hand over his eyes to reduce the light. As the old man looked, he blinked, blinked again, and began to look around. With a smile beaming across his face, he began to say loudly, “I can see, I can see”. Luke says, “the blind man recovered his sight, and followed him, glorifying God (vs 43), and once again the crowd following Jesus begins to walk; but now, it’s larger... “when all the people saw it they also praised God.”
When we turn the page to chpt. 19, Jesus is passing through Jericho. The story that unfolds further amplifies why Jesus is headed to Jerusalem. It’s a well-known story taught in every Sunday School I’ve ever been around. “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and wee little man was he, so he climbed up in a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.” While we sing the song, Luke gives us details. Zacchaeus is “the” chief tax collector. He’s not “a” tax collector like Matthew was who began to follow Jesus a few years before this. Zacchaeus is the chief of the tax collectors, and Luke adds, “was wealthy”. Tax collectors, as you know by now, were despised by their fellow Jews. He got rich skimming off the taxes he collected for Rome. But, there he was...a short man looking rather well dressed... up in a tree because he has heard Jesus is passing through. All he wanted was a glimpse of who this Jesus was. Jesus wanted more than that.
I once did a teaching on Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus and called it “an interrupted life”. One day Zacchaeus is doing his work of overseeing the tax collection, knowing that his fellow Jews hated him for it. But, who cares, he lives comfortably with a great home built from his riches, servants to take care of his every need, and a want for nothing human beings could need. Except that inside of his heart is a hollow emptiness. He is wealthy on the outside and a blind beggar on the inside. “Zacchaeus, have you heard, Jesus is passing through?” He moves without knowing quite why...he has to see him because something inside gnaws at his own emptiness. What Zacchaeus could never anticipate is that Jesus would see him! What Zacchaeus could never anticipate is that Jesus would talk to him, and even invite himself to his home for dinner! Something inside of Zacchaeus lit up, a flame in his spirit began to burn. Next confession...”I will give half of my possessions to the poor, and to those I cheated, I will pay back four-fold”. He was obeying the law of Moses! He was repenting and turning to Jesus!
I don’t know who smiled first, but there was a smile on both Zacchaeus’ face and on Jesus’ too. I’m convinced of it. Jesus speaks up to describe what has happened, and what is happening, and what will happen to people who, like Zacchaeus turn to Jesus through repentance and faith: “Today, salvation has come to this house, because this man too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The Prodigal son now has a face and a name.
In yesterday’s previous encounter Jesus talked to a rich young ruler. Although he was rich, he walked away poor because he failed to understand what Christ was asking of him and what Christ wanted to do for him. Jesus wanted him to have life, not religion, prestige, or even his riches. The rich young man wanted all of those things more than salvation in Christ. The blind man knew he was blind, the rich young man didn’t see his own blindness. Zacchaeus knew that he was blind too, and when Jesus came along, he gladly traded riches, power and prestige for the salvation Jesus came to bring. Two men from very different levels of society received what Jesus offered, and Zacchaeus gladly traded his wealth for the salvation he received; while one man from the upper level walked away, and, while he still had his riches, he was poor, even if he didn’t know it.
Jesus had said it before: “is it really worth it to gain the world and lose your soul?” Jesus is worth it!
Peace
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